


I'm not the Lance You think I am

by KairaKara101



Series: Vaorian Lance - An Alien Lance Fic [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adopted!Lance, Alien Biology, Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Alien!Lance, Aliens, Alternate Dimension!Lance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Archer!Lance, BAMF!Lance, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, F/F, Family Fluff, Family History, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Latino Lance (Voltron), M/M, Non-Binary!Pidge, Rebel!Lance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Vaorian!Lance, Violence, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 85,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7522303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairaKara101/pseuds/KairaKara101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance isn't human. Not that the team would know, he likes to keep that little fact a secret because he's not sure if they'd treat him the same. That they'd be as welcoming as his family is. How in the world did he go from fighting in space to living on Earth acting like a class clown to fighting in space again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How the Hell did I End Up Here?

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU that I thought about, what if Lance was alien from a completely different universe or timeline? And canon Human!Lance does not exist.

The sounds of explosions and flashy lights was the highlight of activity in the infinite blackness of space. There were multiple battleships facing each other in a desperate battle to gain the upper hand. There's a squadron of fighter ships with the symbol of rebel forces flying through the thick group of Galran ships.

“Move left! Don't let them attack the ships.” The Leader yells as he shoots down one of the Galran fighter ships.

“Got it! You two with me. We're going to destroy those lasers.” Rebel One answers as she breaks away with two following close behind.

“Leader, we have incoming, they're sending more of their fighter ships.” Rebel Two states calmly as she shoots another fighter ship into a fiery explosion.

“I'll take them. Cover me. Rebel One, I need those lasers offline yesterday.” The Leader orders as he spins his ship out of range of the Galran lasers.

“Going!” Rebel One answers as she makes a pass on the lasers. “Make sure our shots count boys!”

The Leader moves his controls forward making a dive towards the Galran fighter ships, shooting lasers at the ships. The fighter ships are flying after the rebel fighter ships. He manages to get the enemy ships attention as they turn towards him. He dodges a laser from one of the main enemy warships.

“Anytime you want to help with those lights, it would be greatly appreciated!” The Leader yells through the communication line as he fires another pair of lasers at a fighter ship.

“Leader! They're charging the main canon!” Rebel Two states shooting another fighter ship's engine.

“Fuck! Assane!” The Leader exclaims while ramming a fighter into another fighter. 

“We got it, you worry about those ships.” Assane replies, looking at the holographic screens.

Assane has the Rebel ships firing their missiles and lasers at all enemy ships. The enemy canon charges, she has the ships evade as it fires. The rebel soldiers manage to destroy the lasers as Assane sends the enemy warship a charged canon shot. The Leader looks on his sensors before a shot hits his ship rocking him in his seat and causes a malfunction. There are red lights flashing with the alarms blaring loudly. His blue eyes are scanning all of his screens while trying to right his ship without much success.

“Leader!” Rebel Two screams watching as his ship free falls through space. A druid battleship fires a beam at the Leader's ship and a huge fiery explosion engulfs it.

  **** 

A pair of blue eyes opens slowly as pain erupts from everywhere. The figure's brown hair is matted to the side of his face. His dark beige skin glistens with sweat as he sit up holding his bleeding head. He blinks at his surroundings. The cockpit is sparking as the red alert alarms are blaring still. His other hand shuts off the alarms and he leans against his chair tiredly for a moment. His armor is torn and his arm is bleeding from when a panel fell out and hit it. He pulls up the holographic map and blinks in confusion at the lack of information. 

“You've got to be kidding me.” He releases the seat belt and unsteadily gets up. “I guess, I'm doing this the old fashion way.” He opens the hatch and walks out onto the white soft sands staring at the crystal clear blue water. He stares up at the blue sky as the sun beats down. He turns to look at his ship and sighs. There's smoke coming out of the damaged ship. He goes back inside and pulls out a small bag. He takes kicks a panel and it ejects a black slick quarterstaff with a small quiver of sharp silver needles. He looks around for any last items and stops when he sees the small communicator on the dashboard. He takes it into his hand before stowing it away in his pocket. He steps out of the ship once more and sighs. His fingers touch the side of the ship making a holographic panel appear. He puts in a code that makes the ship shut down with some whirring sounds before the ship disappears from sight along with the smoke. “Now where the hell am I?” 

He walks along the beach with his tired and aching body. The sun begins to set with it lighting the sky with oranges and yellows. He comes upon a large home and stares at it uncomprehending what it is. His vision blurs as blackness creeps from the corners and he collapses to the earth in a heap. A young girl with sun-kissed beige skin walks up towards the house humming a tune. She freezing at the unconscious heap on the front lawn. She stares at him before glancing up at her front door.

“Mamá! Papá!” She yells out in alarm and slightly afraid. She hears the sound of footsteps and the door being slammed open. She is staring at her parents shaking as she stands there. Her Papá comes down to check on the unconscious person and her Mamá hugs her tightly. 

“Is the person alive?” Her Mamá questions with wide eyes. Her Papá is kneeling next to him as he lays two fingers against his neck.

“Sí, he is alive. Injured though.” Her Papá answers as he turns the person over to look at his face. She gasps along with her Mamá at the young face.

“Papá, he's a teenager.” She whispers with her hand covering her month in surprise and disbelief. They hear the wails of a baby and her Mamá gives her shoulder a squeeze before heading back inside to attend to the small baby boy. “Papá? What are we going to do?”

“We'll tend to his injuries, Reyna.” Her Papá replies as he picks him up carefully. Her Papá allows his head to rest against his shoulder as he puts an arm underneath his knees. She grabs the bag that fell from his hand. “Grab the door por favor.” She opens it as he walks past her and into the worn but loved home. She follows him into one of the empty guest rooms. The sound of the baby wailing slowly drifts off into quiet humming. Her Papá lays the young teenager down on the bed. “Reyna, go get a bowl of warm water, some towels, and the first aid kit. We need to clean his wounds and hope he doesn't have a concussion.”

“Sí, Papá.” Reyna runs off her short white dress flowing behind her as she goes to the kitchen to turn on the water. While she does that, her Papá begins to remove the armor. He takes the black helmet off and clicks his tongue at the bloody sight. There's a dry stream of purplish red blood caked to the side of the teen's face. He puts the helmet to the side as he works on the armor. He's glad to see the under armor so to not scar his daughter to the sight of a naked teen at her age. She returns with the stuff and puts it down on the nightstand, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. 

“Reyna, can you get Mamá? I need her help.” Her Papá whispers gently as he begins to wipe away the blood against the teen's face.

“Sí, Papá. I'll get her.” Reyna walks towards the nursery and sees her Mamá carrying her little brother in her arms, humming a lullaby. “Mamá?” Her Mamá glances up at her with a fond smile. 

“Sí?” She watches as her Mamá continues the humming.

“Papá needs your help with the guest. I can put him to sleep for you, Mamá.” Reyna whispers quietly, her Mamá hands her her little brother so she can cradle him in her arms. 

“After he falls asleep, help me with dinner? I have all the ingredients on the counter.” Her Mamá states quietly as she pats her head affectionately. Reyna nods and continues to rock her brother to sleep. Her Mamá walks to the guest room and knocks on the door. Her Papá looks up from cleaning the blood and gives her a small smile. “How bad are his wounds?”

“They don't look too life-threatening so we don't have to take him to the hospital. I'm worried if he got a bad concussion or not. So we'll have to keep an eye out for him throughout the night.” Her Papá replies as he continues with the cleaning. Her Mamá comes over to help clean the other wounds, apply some ointments and bandage up the injuries. The two finish patching him up after a hour when they hear the front door open. “Ah, it seems like Marcela is home.”

“It could be Tonio too though.” Her Mamá states with a smile. She glances down at the sleeping teen, and pulls the blanket up and tucks the teen in. “We should tell them about the chico.”

“I agree. It's weird, but his blood is slightly purple, Aleta.” Her Papá observes looking at the blood mixed water. Aleta looks at it and nods slightly.

“It is. We should worry about that later though, Fermín.” Aleta whispers as she bundles up the tattered armor in her arms. “I'll get this cleaned and fixed tomorrow.”

“Of course. Let's hope he doesn't hurt anyone.” Fermín states as he wraps an arm around Aleta walking towards the kitchen. When the two near the kitchen, they hear Reyna talking with a male voice and someone else laughing. The smell of food cooking fills the house. Aleta goes to the laundry room and drops of the armor. Returning to the kitchen, she sees Reyna looking at her Papá, chewing on her lower lip with questions in her eyes. 

“Hola! Aleta, Fermín.” The tall genial beige skinned male greets with a huge smile. 

“Hola, Tonio. Marcela.” Aleta replies smiling. Marcela gives her a smile and a wave from her seat at the table. “Where is Mamá Jacinta and Papá Raimundo?”

“Abuela and Abuelo are coming in from their walk, Mamá.” Reyna answers as she flips the food in the pan. “Tío Tonio and Tía Marcela was just telling me about their day.”

“It was a good day then?” Fermín inquires, washing his hands in the sink. 

“Sí, we managed to get those cars fixed as well as a boat load of fishes.” Tonio replies with a warming laugh. “If this keeps up, we don't have to worry about not having fresh fish.”

“The children were wonderful today. Little Luto managed to recite the alphabet.” Marcela answers with a fond smile. “They're improving quite a bit. How were all of yours?”

“We're home! Is dinner ready?” A voice calls from the hallway. There's a chorus of welcome homes.

“Abuela, Abuelo! It's almost done!” Reyna states loud enough for them to hear. The two come in with bright smiles and hugs all of them. “Tía Marcela, could you set the table?”

“Of course, sobrina.” Marcela answers as she ruffles Reyna's long brown hair. Reyna laughs lightly, huge smile on her face. The family sits down for dinner as the foods are sitting on the table. The family talks about everything that happened throughout the day and eating. Aleta looks at Fermín with a small nod that Reyna catches onto. Fermín clears his throat gathering everyone's attention.

“I have to say something.” Fermín states calmly as he looks everyone in the eye. They are looking at him with different degrees of concern. “Earlier this evening, Reyna found a young teen unconscious on our lawn.”

“Qué!” Abuela Jacinta exclaims with shock. “Where is the chico?”

“He's asleep in the guest room.” Fermín answers calmly. The rest of the family has different expressions ranging from surprise to bewilderment. “He was injured so we took care of it.”

“Dios Mio. How injured?” Tonio inquires with a frown. Reyna is pushing her food around her plate. Marcela is blinking, trying to wrap her head around the thought.

“The worse is the large gash along his arm and the head wound. Other than that, the other injuries were small.” Fermín replies as he runs his fingers over his mustache. 

“Does the teen have any identification?” Marcela questions as she takes a sip of her drink. Aleta sighs as she begins to clean up the dishes.

“No, I did not see any when I was helping him.” Fermín answers as he picks up his drink sipping it. “I should actually wake him up to make sure his concussion isn't too bad.” He stands up after putting his cup down and heads off to the guest room. Tonio gets up and follows him. Marcela looks stands and helps Aleta with the dishes. Reyna finishes up her dinner and brings her dishes over to the sink. Her abuelos motion her to sit next to them.

“Are you okay, nieta?” Abuela Jacinta inquires with a warm encouraging smile. 

“I think so. Abuela, he's just so young. I mean, he looks younger than me. I don't know how he got there.” Reyna replies with a frown. “Does he have family? Like where did he come from?”

“Patience, nieta. We shall get our answers.” Abuela Jacinta states patting her on the head, before turning to look at the two by the sink. “Aleta, what do you plan on doing if the chico has nowhere to go?”

“Mamá, I don't know yet. I want to talk it over with Fermín. Though if the chico has nowhere to go, I don't mind if he stays. Reyna, what do you think about this?” Aleta questions as she wipes the plate with a soapy sponge. 

“Would that make him my little brother?” Reyna tilts her head with a thoughtful expression. Her abuelo nods and she looks down at her hands. “I don't know, Mamá. I don't even know him yet. I can't really say without knowing him first.”

“Aleta, we should decide this at a later time. We don't even know the chico's name.” Marcela states calmly as she washes the soap off and dries the dishes.

“Ah, true. Plus, I really want Fermín's opinion on this since this should be a joint decision.” Aleta replies softly. Reyna gives both her abuelos a kiss on the forehead before leaving the kitchen. She walks towards the guest room unconsciously. She hears her Tío and Papá before reaching the room. She stands against the wall just outside the room listening.

“His skin is paler than it should be.” Tonio states as he studies the teen's unconscious face. Fermín nods as he shakes the teen's shoulder gently. They hear the teen groan groggily as the darkest navy blue eyes opens slowly. Fermín feels the teen stiffen under his hand. They both blink in surprise when the teen snaps up and backs against the headboard tense. His eyes are wide as he stares at them with well-hidden fear. “Hola.” He stares at them blankly, uncomprehending. Tonio shares a concern glance with Fermín. 

“We're not going to hurt you.” Fermín states with his hands raised in a placating manner. The teen's eyes closes slightly cautiously studying them. “Do you understand us?” The teen tilts his head before clutching his head with his hands. Fermín notices his face paling even more as he quickly grabs a trash bin. The teen vomits into the bin. He's heaving and retching as more acid comes out. Fermín rubs his back comfortingly as he continues to heave his stomach out. Tonio pours a cup of water and grabs a wet towel and wipes away the sweat covering his face. He gives them a confused expression before retching again. Reyna goes to find the heating pad at the sound of retching. The teen finally finishes and Tonio hands him the cup of water. He takes it hesitantly, sniffing the water before taking small sips. He flinches at the sound of knocking on the door. Reyna is standing there awkwardly with the heating pad. “Reyna, thank you for bringing it.” 

“No problem, Papá.” Reyna states as she hands him the pad and sits down on the edge of the bed. The teen stares at her and the rest of the people in the room. “Does he not understand us?”

“I don't believe he does.” Fermín answers as Tonio wipes the sweat off the teen's face. The teen's eyes goes between the three of them with caution.

“Hello, I'm Reyna. Reyna.” Reyna says slowly pointing to herself. “What is your name?” She points to him. The teen frowns putting his cup down. Reyna watches as he opens his mouth hesitantly.

“Lance.” He sits away from them. Tonio and Fermín both stand up to leave. 

“You hang out with Lance alright?” Fermín states calmly. Reyna nods as her Papá ruffles her hair as he leaves the room. Reyna sits at the edge without being threatening. She sees Lance relax slowly as the tension eases out and he sort of flops over exhausted. 

“Where did you come from, Lance?” Reyna questions softly, Lance stares at her, eyes half-closed, uncomprehending. “I've never wished for someone to understand my language so much.” Reyna moves slowly towards him, watching as his tired eyes following her. She sits next to him and motions him to lay down. He moves slowly watching her the entire time. When he's fully laid down, Reyna pulls the blankets over him tucking him in. He is tense through the entire thing. “Good night. We'll see you in the morning.” She walks over to the door and glances back at him. He's staring at her when she flips the switch making the room dark. Lance just lays there with his head in the clouds. He closes his eyes and hears the sound of a firefight and the last screams of his teammates. Lance stares up at the ceiling sighing softly. 

“I can't understand them...urgh....aliens languages why? I think she asked my name. Though, I haven't seen aliens that look so similar to me before....” Lance sits up groaning and looks around. “Where is my armor and stuff? I...” Lance gets off the bed unsteadily looking down at his under armor. “Oh....” Lance walks towards the door hesitantly, poking his head out to look down the halls. He hears voices coming from down the hall where light is spilling out. They're talking quite loudly and he is just blinking in confusion. He hears the soft cries and walks towards the sound slowly. He opens the door and the crying gets a bit louder. Lance shuts the door behind him as he walks towards the crib. His blue eyes move down towards the crying baby. He blinks in surprise as the baby continues crying looking at him. His arms unconsciously move to pick the baby up. 

“Hello, little one.” He puts his arm underneath the baby's head and neck supporting it as he wraps his other arm around the baby, securing him. He rocks the baby back and forth, humming some of the songs his family use to sing. The baby's cries fade into curious gurgles. “Oh you like that song don't you. I like it too, especially when my sister sings it.” The baby's little hands make grabby motions and he gives the baby his finger. The baby grabs it tightly. Lance chuckles softly and smiles. “You're a strong one. If I could find my communicator, I might be able to communicate with people. You know I might even be able to talk with you. Though I wonder if that will be weird? What do you think?” The baby gurgles happily as he moves Lance's finger up and down. “Yeah, you think so too?” Lance feels himself get a bit light headed and looks around to find the comfortable looking chair. He moves over to sit down. Once seated, he sits the baby on his thigh as the baby grabs onto his under armor. There's a patting motion from the baby before he lays his head against Lance's chest asleep, legs wrapped around his waist. Lance gives a faint smile before nodding off as well. That's how Aleta finds her little baby after the adults finish arguing. She blinks at how Lance's arm holds her baby securely and how her little one grips his shirt, drool falling out and landing on his shirt. Fermín comes next to her and blinks in surprise. 

“Was he here when you got here?” Fermín inquires softly looking at the two of them asleep. Aleta leans her tired head against his shoulder. He wraps an arm around her waist.

“Sí, I guess he heard León crying. They look peaceful.” Aleta replies quietly with a fond smile. “Though that position is horrible to sleep in. He's going to wake up tomorrow with a cramp.”

“We should wake him up.” Fermín states as he walks over to the pair, Aleta right on his heels. “Lance?” Lance's eyes opens slowly, he doesn't tense up but looks down at the bundle of heat on top of him. He gently releases the little hands gripping onto his shirt and hands León to Aleta carefully. She takes León and gives Lance a gentle smile before turning to put León back in his crib for the night. Lance looks at both of them worried. Fermín extends a hand waiting for Lance to take it. “Come on, let's get you to bed as well.” Lance takes his hand and gets pulled up. 

“My...stuff...” Lance whispers hoping that they'd understand. Fermín gives him a shrug and a sheepish expression and Lance's face falls in despair. He leads Lance back to the guest room and Lance notices how the house has silenced yet it still has life in the creaks and snores of the other house occupants. Lance gets back onto the bed and sighs softly to himself noticing how Fermín gives him a look of thanks before leaving. His exhaustion catches up and blackness envelops him in a tight hold.


	2. Cookies, Spaceships, and Girlfriends?

“Lance! Wake up! Wake up! Promised me stories and cookies” a cute little boy's voice says excitedly as he bounces up and down on the bed.

“Five more minutes, León.” Lance mumbles as he tries to fall back asleep, curling in his blankets. 

“Lan Lan!” a little high pitched voice exclaims; Lance feels little fingers poking him in the shoulder. “Lan Lan!” Lance groans rolling away from them. León moves to sit on him and Lance grunts.

“León, Estela, please let me sleep.” Lance mumbles into his pillow. He hears León sniffling, as he tenses in fear. 

“Haha, Lance you know they're not going to stop bothering you.” A female voice states with amusement as she stands at the doorway. “It's almost brunch.” Lance lifts his head to stare at the person in the doorway. León is shaking him with his little hands. Estela is still poking him.

“Reyna? Is it really ten already?” Lance whispers tiredly, blinking the sleep out as he gently gets León off of him. 

“Yeah, Mamá wants you up.” Reyna watches with a smile as Lance plops back onto the bed with a groan.

“Lance! You promised!” León whimpers out with the cutest puppy eyes directed towards him. Lance sighs as he sits up.

“Okay okay, I'm up. I'll see you downstairs.” Lance says softly as he yawns. León jumps up excitedly as he turns to the little sister, Estela. 

“Estela, come. We're going to make cookies!” León states happily as he helps Estela down from the bed. Both Lance and Reyna are watching them carefully until the disappear out the doorway still talking loudly.

“How you feeling?” Reyna whispers gently. Lance gives her a faint smile.

“Good, tired though. Why do we have to take tests to get into schools? I don't need to go to school. I just want to fly.” Lance complains with a tired expression.

“Sorry, you're on Earth now. We have a lot of tests. We probably have a test for everything.” Reyna states calmly smiling at his disheveled hair. “You should be use to it by now.”

“Nope, never happening.” Lance answers standing up and walking pass her to the bathroom. Reyna follows him to the hallway next to the bathroom door. “Why did I promise them cookies again?”

“It was because León was begging for more spaceships. Mamá got tired of hearing him ask and ordered you to make him cookies.” Reyna replies watching Lance go through his morning routine. “I'll see you downstairs. Don't forget the stories. They both love stories.” Lance gives her a sound of acknowledgment as he finishes up his long morning routine. He goes back into his room and changes into a shirt and jeans. Lance walks down and greets Tía Marcela. She gives him a kiss on the forehead before running out of the house with a loud bye. He walks into the kitchen and gives both abuelos a kiss and a hug before León tackles his legs tightly.

“Cookie! Cookie!” León chants with a huge smile and little Estela comes waddling over to hug his legs too. 

“Ookie. Ookie!” She echoes, smile taking up her face. Lance smiles as he leans down to pick her up in one arm and pick up León in the other. He gives Mamá a kiss on the cheek before siting both of his siblings down on the counter. 

“Be careful you two. León make sure you hold Estela okay. I just need to get the ingredients for the cookies.” Lance states calmly with León nodding holding onto Estela tightly. She pokes León in the mouth and he splutters. Lance hears both abuelos and Mamá laughing at the two. Reyna is in the pantry looking for ingredients. She hands him the ones he needs.

“Estela! No you can't do that.” León whispers as she giggles to herself. Lance and Reyna both come out with the ingredients. 

“Don't forget to eat something, Lance.” Mamá states as she goes to dry the wet laundry on the cloth line. Lance acknowledges and starts to get some bowls to mix the dough. Reyna begins measuring the ingredients and puts it inside the bowls. They let León mix it as Lance grabs some leftover breakfast and munches on it.

“You know, your Spanish and English are both really good compared to when we found you three years ago.” Reyna states as she wipes the white powder off of León's face. She hands Estela a little chocolate chip to munch on.

“I had nothing else to do, other than learn, read, and practice.” Lance replies between munches. Reyna smiles mischievously. 

“Is that why you learned how to sew and knit?” Reyna teases as Lance's face heats up in embarrassment.

“I didn't realize that it was suppose to be a more girl thing to do.” Lance mumbles as he helps León mix the dough and hands Estela another chocolate chip.

“It's fine you know. I don't care if you can sew or knit. I like it personally.” Reyna smiles as she puts some flour on Lance's nose. He blinks and gives her an unamused glare. 

“Me me!” Estela chants with happy giggles. Lance's expression softens as he puts flour on her nose too. She laughs as she pokes her finger in the flour and pokes León. He gives Lance puppy eyes begging him to help. Lance laughs as he hands Estela a small bag of chocolate chips to keep her occupied. 

“Story! Lance tell me about the spaceships.” León urges as he mixes the cookie dough. 

“Okay, well let's see. The flagship was the ship that carries some of the most advance technologies found in the known universe....” Lance tells León about the ships and of the crew that helped as he put the cookie dough in small circles on the baking sheet. Reyna is taking the bag of chocolate chips away from Estela and cleans her up. She then puts her on the ground as Estela looks through the oven window. Lance cleans León up before putting him on the ground as well. He dips his finger inside the empty bowl and eats some of the leftover dough. He hands Reyna the spoon when she turns to him. She takes it happily munching on the leftovers. They both clean up the workstation as the two kids run around the kitchen pretending to be on a spaceship.

“Lance?” Abuela Jacinta says softly from her spot by the table, she's drinking some tea.

“Sí, Abuela Jacinta?” Lance says as he dries his hands on the towel. 

“How far are you with that project of yours?” She questions with a warm smile and pats the seat next to her. Lance walks over evading little spaceships as they fly around the kitchen. 

“I have most of the cuts finish so it's just sewing everything together really. Though, studying for the Galaxy Garrison was difficult so I didn't have as much time to work on it.” Lance replies softly as he pokes León when he passes by. León pretends to have been shot and makes emergency sirens as he yells alerts flying past Lance. Abuela Jacinta chuckles as she watches her grandchildren flying around the kitchen.

“I see. Can I see what you have?” Abuela Jacinta asks softly her warm voice washing over Lance's thoughts.

“Oh, oh yeah. I'll go get it. Reyna, make sure the cookies don't burn.” Lance replies as he walks off. Estela pokes him in the leg. Lance ruffles her hair as he walks past. He goes upstairs grabbing his basket of sewing supplies and parts. He comes down with a basket of things and puts it on the table in front of Abuela Jacinta. Reyna and Lance both look at the tray of cookies as León and Estela pops up next to them. 

“Cookie?” León whispers in anticipation. Lance ruffles his hair before wrapping his arms around him.

“Nope, not yet little commander. Your tech is still working, I believe it'll be at least ten more minutes.” Lance reports softly with a smile as León gives him the biggest smile. He turns and kisses Lance on the cheek. “What?”

“For helping with supplying my crew.” León says wrapping his arms around Lance's neck. Estela hugs Lance too. Reyna laughs and hugs Lance. 

“Guys?”

“Wuv you, Lan.” Estela says giving him a sloppy kiss. Reyna lets go and goes to sit near the abuelos. Lance lets the two go so they can go back to playing. Lance goes sit down next to Abuela Jacinta whose has been looking through the basket. 

“These are wonderful, Lance. You're making a lion plush?” Abuela Jacinta queries as she looks through the cuts and the patterns.

“Sí, I thought León would like one. And I'm still trying to figure out what Estela would like.” Lance replies while touching the soft fabrics.

“Lance, she'll love anything you make her.” Abuela Jacinta pulls out the sewing machine from the window seat and leaves it in front of him. “Work on some? I'll help as well.”

“Okay, Abuela Jacinta.” Lance pulls the stuff together and begins to sew the piece together. Reyna pulls out a chess board and plays with her abuelo. The two children are running around as Lance gets help with making his little lion plush. Abuela Jacinta gives him a gentle hand guiding his hands through the work. 

“Ookie?” Estela says as she tugs on Lance's pants. He stops and stands up to look at the cookies. He turns off the oven and pulls on some mitts before pulling the cookies out of the oven. He leaves the tray on the counter away from grabby hands. “Ookie now?”

“Not yet, my little Princess.” Lance states calmly as he leads her over to León and they continue their little roleplay. Lance returns to sewing when the front door opens. He hears the footsteps before the voice erupts from the hallway.

“Hola! Is anyone home?” 

“We're in the kitchen, Tío Tonio!” Reyna yells looking up from her chess game. They hear him come in taking in the aroma of the kitchen. 

“Do I smell cookies?” Tío Tonio questions with a huge smile. “Please tell me that it's chocolate chips.”

“It is. Lance, Reyna, and the kids made it.” Abuelo Raimundo answers as he moves his pawn eliciting a groan from Reyna. Tío Tonio walks over to the cookies preparing to grab one when both León and Estela grab his legs. 

“No! Ookie not done.” Estela whines as she buries her head into his leg. León holds onto his leg as he pouts up at him.

“No, as commander you can't have any before me and Estela.” León states with the most commanding tone he can manage. Tío Tonio gives a hearty laugh. 

“Of course, little commander.” He answers as he backs away from the tray of cookies. “Where is Aleta?”

“Outside.” Abuelo Raimundo answers with a smug smile. “Checkmate, Reyna.” Reyna allows for her face to hit the table. 

“Aww man.” Reyna groans with defeat. “Abuelo, why are you so good at this?”

“Practice and patience, young one.” Abuelo Raimundo answers with a knowing smile. Aleta comes back in with a smile. 

“Welcome home, Tonio.” Aleta states as she moves the cookies to the side. She pulls out a cutting board.

“Good to be home, Aleta. Is Fermín not home yet?” Tío Tonio questions as he sits down on one of the chairs.

“No, he has a late shift today and he needs to be on site.” Aleta replies as she starts on a late lunch. Lance finishes up body of the lion and begins to stuff the lion with cotton. He puts the final touches onto the lion and looks at it. Reyna gets up and puts the cookies onto a plate and hands both kids one.

“Only one until after lunch okay?” Reyna states with a smile. They both nod as they grab the cookie and start munching on it like little vultures. “Lance? Are you going to be late?” Lance looks up at the clock and almost curses, in which he receives a glare from Aleta.

“Oh snap, lo siento Mamá.” Lance packs away his stuff and runs up the stairs with everything. Reyna laughs as he almost trips near the doorway. Lance puts his sewing stuff on the ground and grabs his training bag from the locked chest at the foot of his bed. He runs down the stairs and yells a bye as he disappears through the front door. Lance runs towards the gym and slides to a stop in front of his instructor, Lygia, who gives him an unimpressed amused look. 

“Seriously, Lance. I was wondering if you were going to keep me waiting.” 

“Sorry, I got caught up with my little commander and princess.” Lance answers with a sheepish smile. He straightens up as she looks at him with a judging gaze. 

“Alright, lets go practice your shooting.” She motions him inside and to the indoor shooting range. He follows as they both put on their gear. Lance pulls his rifle out of his case as he puts it together in under a minute. She's standing next to the lane when he comes over with his loaded gun and extra ammunition. “You know, I'm still surprise that you wanted to keep practicing even though you're really good already, especially for someone your age.”

“I just feel that I can improve, you know?” Lance answers with a shrug. “By the way, why hasn't anyone asked you yet?”

“Why you offering, Lance?” She questions with a smug smile. Lance gives her a small smile. 

“Not really, I just don't get why someone as amazing, intelligent, caring doesn't have a significant other yet.” Lance replies as he aims down the lane.

“I don't know, kiddo. Maybe no one likes a woman who can out shoot them.” She replies tiredly. Lance pulls the trigger a few times before looking up at her.

“You deserve someone who can see you.” Lance replies as he tries to hit another bulls-eye. Lance goes through the rest of the magazine in silence. She watches his shots with a critical eye. He reloads and sits back on his heels. “Did I tell you that I was going to apply for the Galaxy Garrison?”

“No. You applied already?” She inquires as she brings the target towards them to check the marks.

“Yeah, yesterday night. I don't know if I'll get in though. I don't do well with tests.” Lance states as he looks at the marks as well. “Dang it. I missed on that one shot.”

“It's still really good, Lance. If you weren't going to the garrison, I'd recommend you for the Olympic team.” She answers with a fond smile. “You came to me a little over two years ago and you couldn't even speak Spanish or English all that well.”

“I had trouble learning languages. Both Spanish and English aren't my native language.” Lance replies moving a hand over his rifle with care. She gives him a pat on the back.

“Keep up the good work. Did you want to go to the archery range?” She inquires while holding onto the target. 

“Maybe in a bit. Was there anything else that I was missing on?” Lance says as he moves his rifle back into position. She moves the target down the range once more and watch as he worked through a few more magazines.

“Your breathing could use a bit more work, but other than that your stance is really good.” She answers as she brings back the the target. “Lance, have you ever thought about using a different gun?”

“No? I don't really know about the other guns. I know they exist but I don't have much interest in using them.” Lance replies with a shrug. Lygia motions him to put his gun away. They walk through the sound and bulletproof doors. They head over to the food court to grab a light lunch. Lance is munching on a sandwich when a group of males come over to their table. Lygia rolls her eyes when she sees them, snapping down on her chip violently. Lance studies them as he fishes for a chip from the bag.

“Hello Lygia, baby. How you've been?” the tall male asks with a smug smile. 

“I'm fine, but I would be better if you'd leave me alone.” Lygia states civilly as she munches on her grilled cheese sandwich. Lance looks at them before looking over at Lygia whose ignoring them as she takes a sip of her drink. The male begins to get angry at her dismissal, he's about to hit her when a hand comes out of nowhere and grabs his wrist tightly. Lance blinks at the person that intervened. 

“If she doesn't want to be bothered, you take that as a signal to back off. Plus you don't hit people because they ignore you. Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?” a sweet voice chastises the male and his cohorts. Lance looks at the short bleached hair, coffee reddish brown skinned petite female with warm hazel eyes. Lygia looks up at the woman with curiosity. The male snatches his wrist back before walking off. “I swear, when can they take a freaking hint.” She glances over at Lygia and Lance. “I'm sorry, they were just pissing me off. I'm Masika.”

“This is Lance, my student and I'm Lygia.” Lygia gives Masika a bright smile. “Thanks a lot. I get so tired of them.”

“Not a problem. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Anyway, have a good day! I have some practice to get to.” Masika states with a warm smile. She walks off excitedly. Lance gives Lygia a look. 

“What is with that look? I know that look, Lance.” Lygia states calmly as she finishes up her sandwich.

“She seems nice. How about her then?” Lance whispers quietly as he finishes up his bag of chips. Lygia gives him a small frown. “No? I think she's pretty cute and level headed.”

“Lance, we've been over this. No.” 

“Oh come on, I bet you haven't had a woman do that for you before or even a man.” Lance states while sipping on his drink. Lygia ignores him and Lance rolls his eyes. “Fine, let's make a bet. I'll give you twenty bucks if she's not the girl, otherwise, you owe me twenty if she is.”

“You can't seriously be making a bet with me, Lance.” Lygia answers with an overly fond smile. “Did you forget the last time you failed?”

“Psst, like I could forget. That was the grossest thing you've made me do.” Lance hisses playfully. “No but seriously, I think she might be the one. I'm making the bet okay.”

“Fine, you're so stubborn. But don't complain when it falls through and you owe me twenty.” Lygia replies as she crumples up her waste to throw into the trash bin. 

“Deal. By the way, do you still want to see my archery?” Lance inquires as he picks up his own trash and bag.

“Yes, only because it looks so graceful coming from the most ungraceful brat I've ever met.” Lygia answers as they walk towards the archery range. She bumps Lance's shoulder playfully. He gives her a grin as he walks to the range. She watches as he pulls out his gear and begins to shoot arrow after arrow in the strangest way. There was something ephemeral with the way Lance held onto his bow. How the arrow arched through the air and landed with a thud against the target. She watches as his eyes seem to focus intensely shooting arrow after arrow. “Lance?”

“Hmm?” He shots another arrow towards the target.

“When do you get your results back?” Lance lowers his bow and looks at her, eyes intense and she felt like she was falling through the ocean. 

“Next month apparently. I hope I get in. I want to travel through the stars.” Lance whispers longingly. Lygia notices as his eyes lose their intense focus and drifts off before he shakes his head. “Well if I don't get in, I'll figure something out.”

“I see. Well do tell me the results okay. If you get in maybe we can have a small celebration.” Lygia states with a smile as Lance nods and puts his gear away. “I'll see you next time?”

“Yeah. See you, Lygia!” Lance watches as she runs off to do whatever it is she does. Lance smiles to himself sadly. “It's been three years? I wonder how everyone is doing right now.” Lance sighs before grabbing the arrows from the target and stuffing it inside the quiver. He walks home thinking about his old home and his friends who are most likely still fighting against the Galran forces or dead. He grips his strap tightly. “There's no way she's dead. Please don't be dead, wherever you are.” 

When he arrives home, the house is nosy with activity but he just slips his shoes off quietly and heads upstairs. He puts his weapons in the chest. He sees his old bag and pulls it out. Taking out the quarterstaff as it morphs into an obsidian long bow. He sits on his bed as he stares at the weapon that fits perfectly in his hand. He hears a knock on his door and looks up to see Reyna standing there with concern eyes.

“Hey, Reyna.” Lance whispers out quietly as the bow returns to a quarterstaff before shrinking into a slick black stick. She comes in and sits down next to him.

“You okay?”

“No. I just...it's been three years...I'm living here comfortably and I love it, but I also remember being up there in space fighting everyday.” Lance whispers as he puts his staff down next to his bag and pulls his legs close to his chest. Reyna pulls Lance into a tight hug. He holds onto her tightly as his body trembles with choked sobs. 

“Estela has been waiting for you to come home. She wanted to share her cookie with you.” Reyna whispers softly. “Mamá made your favorite chocolate milk and is waiting for you. Papá came home with these really weird snacks that I think he found in the dumpster because they're just that bad.” She hears Lance laugh softly. “León came into your room earlier and stole the lion plush by the way. Don't tell him I said that. He says he saved it from the evil one.”

“He likes it?” Lance chuckles softly. Reyna lets him sit up.

“Yeah, hasn't let go of it since he stole, I mean saved it.” Reyna replies with a smile. Lance gives her a smile before putting his weapons into the chest and locking it. “Your practice went well?”

“It did. The weaponry on Earth is a bit different from what I'm used to. They look similar but there's a few minute details that make them really different.” Lance gestures as he speaks. Reyna stands up pulling him with her. “What I don't understand is why use bullets? Why not go for plasma shots or even lasers?”

“I dunno, we haven't got advance weaponry like that yet.” Reyna replies as they step into the living room. Lance stumbles back a few steps at the impact. He glances down to see his two younger siblings attached to his leg. Reyna is laughing at him when he looks up glaring at her. “You should have seen your face.”

“Estela, did you manage to capture the evil one?” León questions with a huge bright smile and his eyes are sparkling, lion is in hand. Estela hugs his leg tighter.

“Ay! Wevil one!” Estela's laughing as she nods happily. “We've got im!” Lance smirks evilly at them. León and Estela scream as they run away from him. Lance chases them around the room before grabbing Estela and blowing onto her belly making her giggle. “Wah!! No!! Heehee.” Mamá comes in with a tray of cookies and hot chocolate with lots of small marshmallows. She puts the tray down on the coffee table and sits down next to Reyna. León tackles Lance from behind making him support himself above Estela. 

“No! Evil One begone! Leave Estela alone!” León states as he makes Lance fall over onto his side. Lance makes little noises as if he's dying and León smiles widely at Estela who's looking on in awe. “I have defeated the evil one! The universe is safe!” León and Estela share a happy glance before falling into a fit of laughter. Lance lays there watching them with a soften smile and eyes bright with a calming sense of peace. 

“Alright my little space warriors, it's time for a snack. Evil one too.” Mamá orders softly with a gentle warm smile.

“Ookie!” Estela runs over to grab one before walking back over to Lance whose sat up. Lance watches as she breaks the cookie in half giving him the bigger piece. “Here.” Lance takes the broken cookie and kisses her on her forehead.

“Thank you, Princess.” Estela giggles before running back over to León. Lance stares at his cookie before munching on it slowly. Lance crawls over towards the coffee table and leans his back against Reyna's legs. She gives him a smile with a raised eyebrow. He takes a cup of hot chocolate as he sips on it watching the two kids run around hyper. “Mamá? Was it a good idea to feed them sugar?”

“Nope, but they need to be exhausted by tonight. Dinner will make sure that happens. How was your day, Lance?” She gives him a concerned expression as she touches his shoulder lightly.

“It was good. I just....miss space sometimes.” Lance whispers as he watches the two poke and tagging each other. The lion plush is always in León's hands. “Where's Papá?”

“He's helping Tío Tonio out in the backyard.” Mamá replies as she takes a bite of a cookie. “Your cookies have improved.”

“Thank you. Still can't make them as good as you though.” Lance answers and closes his eyes, just so he can listen to all the noise that happens in and around the house. There's the sound of León and Estela's laughter. The clinking of tea cups against their plates in the other room. He can hear the wind blowing the wind chime that's hanging just outside the front door on the porch. If he focuses, he can hear Tío Tonio and Papá fixing something in the backyard. There's the sound of metal on metal. He hears Reyna whispering to Mamá about her plans for the next year. He hears the unfamiliar footsteps, and the sound of clicking. Lance's eyes snap open pulling both Reyna and his Mamá to the ground as the sound of firing bullets shatters the window. “Stay low and out of sight. I'll find León and Estela.” He begins crawling towards the hallway before getting up and running towards where he heard their little footsteps. He finds them hugging each other with tears in their eyes underneath the small table in the adjacent room. He picks them both up and runs up the stairs into his room. He closes the door behind him and opens the closet. He puts them on the ground. Both of them are crying. “León, Estela. I need both of you to keep quiet okay? This is a perfect time to play that game; the one where you hide from me without a sound okay. Stay here until I come back to get you or someone from the family. Please.” They hug him tightly, crying. “I'll be back okay. León you're the defender okay. Protect Estela until I get back. Lion here will help you.” 

“Ok...ay....” León whispers softly, hugging both Estela and the Lion to his chest. Lance gives them both a kiss on the forehead before closing the closet doors. He opens his chest and pulls out his quarterstaff and a couple silver needles, before locking it again. He closes his eyes and listens for the footsteps. Once he hears them downstairs, he quietly makes his way down. The living room is a mess with the cups broken and the chocolate staining the floor. He sees one of the intruders grabbing one of the marshmallows and swings his quarterstaff hard at the intruder's head making him collapse to the floor. His eyes are glowing a neon blue in anger. He steps over the intruder and walks quietly towards the other room. He hears his Abuelos yelling Spanish profanities at the intruders. He hears the reload and his fingers tighten on the quarterstaff. His Mamá is crying and Reyna is screaming.

“Leave, Fermín alone!” Mamá cries out in anguish. Lance hears the front door open hesitantly and he looks up from the shadow. He blinks in surprise at seeing Tía Marcela. Another intruder walks out of the bathroom and spots her before he can say anything Lance hits him in the back of his neck, catching him before he thuds against the floor. Lance looks up at Marcela whose breathing heavily. Lance sidesteps the intruder and puts a finger to his lips. 

“Lance?” She whispers under her breath. 

“Can you go upstairs quietly? León and Estela are in my closet.” Lance whispers quietly listening for any footsteps coming from anywhere. Marcela kisses his forehead and nods. Lance watches as she makes her way upstairs quietly and into his room locking the door. He takes a quiet breath and walks to the kitchen doorway. He can hear how his Mamá is crying for Fermín to wake up. Reyna is begging Papá to wake as well. Lance sneaks a glance into the room and sees where the intruders are all standing and that Papá is on the ground unconscious and bleeding from his shoulder. Tío Tonio is gasping and blood is seeping out of his thigh. Lance sees both abuelos sitting next to Reyna and Mamá. The guns pointing at them makes his blood boil.

“Shut up or I kill the girl.” The intruder states angrily. Lance takes a breath and morphs his staff into a long bow, two needles into arrows and steps into the door way with his glowing neon blue eyes.

“Pick on someone your own size, punk.” Lance hisses as they turn to see him just as he lets go of the arrows and it hits them squarely in their shooting hand. Their weapons dropping to the ground. The last intruder shots him and it grazes his shoulder. Lance brings his bow back into a long quarterstaff and hits him hard; there's a sound of bones cracking and the intruder falls over. His glowing eyes are glaring at the intruder who manages to look up despite the pain. The other two manage to come at him to punch him. Lance gives them one glaring look before swinging his staff down on them knocking them out. He's breathing heavily when one of the other intruders from before come in and wraps their arms around Lance. Lance yells out in pain as the intruder squeezes him. 

“Lance! Let him go, you jerk!” Reyna yells angrily. The sound of a gun going off makes everyone freeze. Lance is hanging there until he feels the arms relax and the intruder falls to the ground with a hole in his forehead. Lance looks over at Papá whose holding the pistol in his hand.

“Papá?” Lance whispers as he feels the energy draining from his body and he collapses like a puppet cut from his strings. 

“Mijo!” Mamá yells as she runs over to Lance. “Reyna, call the police and emergency services.” Fermín nods at her and she runs off to do just that. He walks over to the intruders and removes the silver arrows and picks up the quarterstaff. 

“I'll go hide these. We don't need the police taking Lance from us.” He states quietly as he walks off. Tonio sits up while applying pressure to his wound. Reyna stays on the phone with emergency personal. Abuelo Raimundo goes and gets the first aid kit while Abuela goes looking for the kids and finds them in Lance's room with Marcela. Abuelo fixes up Tonio's injury as the paramedics and police arrive at the door. Lance moans as his body spasms from the backlash. Reyna brings a heat pad and wraps it around him. Mamá holds him as she rocks him, humming. Fermín comes back in with the police and the paramedics. The paramedics tend to all the wounds while the police ask for a statement on what happened and takes the intruders away. 

After two hours, the family is sitting in the recently cleaned living room with Lance's head in Mamá's lap and his legs on Reyna's, still unconscious. Both of the younger siblings are sitting on the ground next to Lance. Fermín is sitting next to Reyna holding her shoulders. The abuelos are sitting on the love seat together holding hands. Tonio and Marcela share a couch. The family has different degrees of exhaustion. 

“Urgh...” Lance groans out. León and Estela are both up on their feet in seconds looking at Lance with worry. His navy eyes open slowly as his vision focus on their worried faces.

“Lan Lan? Wakey?” Estela whispers holding onto his hand tightly.

“Estela? León?” Lance whispers hoarsely, squeezing Estela's little hand briefly. Her eyes brighten with tears as she jumps onto him and hugs him tightly. León crawls onto the couch and snuggles down on his other side with his lion on his chest. “Mamá?”

“We're here, Lance.” She whispers giving him a tired smile. “Everyone's fine.” Lance smiles tiredly and closes his eyes again. Lance hears Tía Marcela get up and walk into the kitchen and begin cooking dinner. Both abuelos head out to the kitchen to help with preparing dinner. Lance feels Reyna's comforting hand on his ankles. “Lance?”

“Hmm Mamá?” Lance mutters out eyes still closed, he wraps an arm around Estela as she begins to slip.

“Did you use it again?” She inquires softly. Lance opens his eyes to study her face. He feels both Reyna's and Papá's gaze on him.

“Yes? I didn't want to lose anyone else.” 

“Be careful, mijo. If you use it to much, it hurts you.” Mamá reprimands gently, Lance nods tiredly and chuckles when the two kids hug him tighter. “Thank you for coming to our rescue.”

“Always, Mamá.”

“Alright, I'm going to go help in the kitchen.” She hears a chorus of okays before she walks towards the kitchen. Fermín pats Lance's ankle before going after her. Tío Tonio gets up and leaves as well patting him on the shoulder. Lance feels Reyna move to where Mamá vacated and sits down after moving his head.

“You've made our siblings the most clingy siblings in the universe.” Reyna whispers softly as she runs a hand through his sweat damp hair.

“It's not on purpose, I swear.” Lance answers with a fond smile. Estela whines as she holds onto Lance's side tightly. “Oh, Estela. I can't breath if you hold too tightly.” She lets go just a smidgen. 

“I ant ion, Lan Lan.” Estela mutters sleepily into his chest. Lance sighs softly as he hugs them both. 

“Yeah, I'll make you a lion. I'll make it your favorite color, lavender.” Lance whispers as she nods sleepily. “Do you want one, Reyna? It'll be red.”

“You don't have to make an army of lions, Lance.” Reyna whispers leaning back against the couch. Lance chuckles as he feels León drooling on his shirt.

“It'll be nice to have an army of lions to protect us.” Lance answers fondly as he sits up slowly. He makes both siblings comfortable on the couch. “He still hasn't gotten over the drooling.”

“Haha, no kidding. Mamá told me that he drooled on you when you first held him. I was laughing for days.” Reyna answers with amusement.

“That's why you were laughing? Reyna! It's not that funny. Ugh, now I have to go and change my shirt.” Lance retorts but doesn't move from his spot. Reyna pokes him on the arm and he hisses. “Not cool. You don't see me poking at your injuries.”

“I don't have any. Don't be such a baby, Lance.” Reyna answers as he sticks his tongue out. “Real mature. Never would have figured you to be an alien when you act like that.”

“Hey! I'm totally capable of being mature. You should have seen me in my fighter ship. I was the most mature one there!” Lance replies with his arms crossed. Reyna laughs with disbelief. 

“I know, Lance. You learned to live a little since staying here. Though it might be those two's fault if anyone's.” Reyna answers sniffing the air. “Oh my god, they're making soup. You know that soup!”

“It'll definitely put everyone to sleep though.” Lance snickers out as Reyna hits him lightly. 

“You know. I'm really happy that you dropped on our lawn all those years ago.” Reyna whispers with a smile. She pulls Lance into a warm hug. “I'm glad I get to call you, my annoying little brother.”

“I love you too, Reyna.”


	3. Oh my god, Earth Customs!

“Tío Tonio?” Lance calls as he looks around the workshop. There's sounds of metal being hammered and sparks flying. “Tío Tonio?” Lance takes in the pungent smell of car oil and gasoline. There's tires lining the wall, rusted tools on the work benches and strange structures that Lance can't put a name to. “Tío Tonio?”

“Lance?” A muffled voice calls from underneath the car. Lance walks over to the car and pokes his head underneath coming face to face with Tío Tonio. “Oh it is you. Just give me a few more minutes. I almost have this repair done.”

“Okay.” Lance decides to walk around the workshop looking at all the little tools and strange mechanical toys that are laid around. He sees a small device that doesn't look anything Earth like and picks it up. He gasps as the device flickers and blue lights emerge from it. “Oh! This is....” Lance tilts his head as he stares at it in slight confusion, before it clicks. “Oh oh, this is...”

“I probably should have hidden that in case someone came in.” Tío Tonio states as he wipes his hands on a washcloth. Lance turns to look at him. “I reverse engineered your communicator. Pretty proud about it. It's not our solar system is it?”

“No, no its not.” Lance whispers looking at the star map in awe. “I don't think I'll get to see these stars anymore.”

“Lance....” Tío Tonio says softly as he takes in Lance's nostalgic expression.

“I mean, that's the Vela Hyperbius Galaxy which is light years away from the Milky Way. They have the most delicious little fruit parfait cups with whipped cream; I mean Earth's whipped cream is heavenly and should be cherished and protected from ravaging aliens, but they have a whipped cream that feels like the clouds and it melts just melts.” Lance rambles out in one breath staring longingly at the stars. 

“Lance?” Tío Tonio questions as he puts a hand on his shoulder. “You'll still be able to go to the stars.” Lance shuts the device off and looks at him with a small unsure smile.

“That's if I managed to pass an Earth test to the Galaxy Garrison.” Lance answers as he puts the device down on the table. “Why does Earth have to have a test for everything? They just need to know if you were willing and they'd let you out there, back where I came from. Earth customs are weird.” Tío Tonio laughs as he pulls Lance along by the wrist.

“You seem to enjoy the Earth customs of music, dance, and surfing.” Tío Tonio states plainly as they go deeper into the workshop. Lance steps over a few tools as he follows.

“They're fun and enjoyable. We didn't have things like that back on Vaoria, nor did we have the time to.” Lance answers as Tío Tonio opens the back shed doors. Lance stares at the black ship with neon blue highlights with his mouth wide open. “What? When?” Lance runs inside to the ship as he puts a shaking hand on the side.

“I overheard you one night, two years ago, when you were having a nightmare about leaving your ship on the beach.” Tío Tonio replies as he watches as Lance runs a loving hand over it. “I went looking for it but seriously cloaking? So difficult to find Sobrino.” Lance laughs softly to himself. 

“How did you find it then?” Lance inquires as he puts a hand over the palm sensor. He hears the hum of the ship waking up. Tío Tonio smiles as Lance's smile becomes bigger and his eyes brightens up.

“I used your communicator. Hard at first, since I don't read your language well and that I had no idea how to turn the device on.” Tío Tonio answers as the door opens. “Don't know if you can fly it just yet though, I haven't been able to check if everything is working. And I'm also not sure if I fixed it correctly.”

“I can do a diagnostic check and tell you, if you want Tío Tonio.” Lance states excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his heels. “Oh my god, just imagine when we show this to León. He's going to freak out and climb all over it.” Lance pauses mid jump. “Oh I'll have to ask Mamá and Papá if it's okay to take them on it though, right?” Lance glances up at Tío Tonio uncertain. 

“Yes, Sobrino. Don't want your Mamá's La Chancla. She got her skills from Abuela Jacinta, no lie.” Tío Tonio whispers like it was a scary secret that no one's suppose to hear. Lance chuckles as he pokes his head inside the ship. Tío Tonio hears him gushing about the interior and how it needs a few fixes. Lance looks back out at Tío Tonio.

“You want to check out the inside?” Lance offers with a huge smile. Tío Tonio gives him the biggest warmest grin and walks inside with him. Lance hears his Tío Tonio gasping in awe as he looks at everything. Lance plops himself in the seat and starts the diagnostics holographic screens. He's reading through the screens when Tío Tonio kneels next to the control console with interested eyes. Lance moves the screens up and leans back watching. 

“What does this do?” Tío Tonio inquires pointing at a few of the buttons on the console. It was a blue button that didn't match the other streamline controls. Lance stares at it before laughing softly.

“My technician put that there. He and I quote “for when the sounds of battle are too loud.” You can click it; it doesn't connect to any of the firing systems.” Lance replies with a nostalgic smile. Tío Tonio presses it and hears the sound of the waves and the gentle breezes with the strange noise in the background. “It's a sound of a space blue whale. It swims through air and water. Gets to be really big sometimes. Though it can also be as small as León's plush lion. They're really cute.”

“Interesting choice of ambient music. They fly? The whales I mean.” Tío Tonio states as he leans against the cockpit wall.

“Yeah, there's this one baby whale that would follow me whenever I was on planet surface. He was the most adorable little whale ever. If I recall his name was Hydran.” Lance answers softly with a fond smile. “He got adopted by Assane, she's a scary woman. You don't want to get hurt cause she'll probably deep fry you for getting hurt and slap a bandage soaked in alcohol on it. You know what the kicker for all that is?” Tío Tonio shakes his head amused. “She's my age. Oh my god, she would wipe the floor with the stupid overly confident injured warriors. They started to make fun of her because Hydran would swim around her as she worked. When she found out one of them hurt Hydran, she managed to put them all in the infirmary with her as their head doctor. They groaned about it for weeks.” Lance snickers as he recounts the story. “I kind of miss her. She'd love you guys. Wait! She'll get along with Reyna and then they'll tag team me. No, Assane and Reyna should never meet.” Tío Tonio laughs brightly as he puts a hand on his shoulder. 

“Tell me what needs to be fixed and I'll see if I can fix it.” Tío Tonio states smiling, Lance smiles. “You can even help me. Maybe I you'll learn some engineering.”

“Oh, I don't know Tío Tonio. I have always been horrible at fixing ships and stuff of the like.” Lance answers with a sheepish smile.

“No worries, I'll teach you.” Tío Tonio answers with pride as Lance shows him the parts that are broken or the wiring is all messed up. They're both working on a part of the ship when Lance pauses remembering the reason for coming to the workshop.

“Tío Tonio?” Lance hears his Tío hmm in response from underneath the ship. “Why were we attacked two nights ago?” Lance hears his Tío pull out from underneath the ship and sit up. There's smudges of oil on his face. 

“It's not your fault, Lance. There's been a lot of hate crime lately. If you're a minority, have different color skin, different in anyway, people tend to judge.” Tío Tonio responds with a sad smile.

“Why? Aren't you all humans? What does the difference of skin color have to do with anything? There's aliens in space that are fighting for the universe. I mean I don't know if there are aliens here because I haven't seen or heard any.” Lance questions confused his eyes are scrunched together and his face is pulled into a frown.

“We're a race that only sees the surface and believe others are above others. Very selfish if you ask me. If only we could love each other for every flaw and opinion then the Earth would be at peace. Lance, did your race ever fight each other?” Tío Tonio questions with a patient smile. 

“Well I think we might have, though I can't remember if we actually killed each other because I only remember my race fighting the Galran forces since I was born really.” Lance replies frowning at the lack of information. “If people found out I was alien that would be bad right?”

“Are you suggesting someone found out?” Tío Tonio inquires with a raised eyebrow. Lance shakes his head viciously. “Lance, sobrino, they'd take you away from us. Do gods knows what to you. We don't want that okay.” Tío Tonio walks over and hugs him tightly. “Now, enough talking. You need to learn how to attach this panel after finishing the wires up.” The two work and Lance manages to zap his fingers a couple billion times as Tío Tonio laughs at him and gives him encouraging speeches to keep him going. Lance hits his head on the wing when he hears a voice calling for Tío Tonio.

“Tonio? Are you in here?” Lance sees Tío Tonio hit the bottom of the ship and cringes as Tío Tonio stands up rubbing his head. “Tonio?” Lance mouths to Tío Tonio girlfriend? He hits him lightly on the back of his head with a smile shaking his head. Lance mouths liar! 

“I'm in the back, Soraia!” Tío Tonio yells to the front of the shop walking into the back room just as a beautiful burgundy haired woman with glasses comes in. 

“You're a mess, Tonio.” Soraia snickers as she points to his face. His face turns red in embarrassment as he takes his clean washcloth and wipes it off.

“What brings you to my workshop?” He asks awkwardly, fingers fidgeting. Lance listens against the door with an amused smile.

“Did you forget? We had a lunch meeting.” Soraia answers with a raised eyebrow. Lance can literally feel his Tío's embarrassment oozing off of him in waves. 

“Oh is it that time already? Crap, uh um I...” He stutters and Lance closes his eyes in silent laughter. Lance being the good nephew decides to save his Tío. Lance walks into the room and Soraia's dark calculating eyes takes him in.

“Lo siento, miss. I came to see my Tío and we got really into our project totally forgetting the time.” Lance gives her a bright smile. “I'm Lance. It's a pleasure to meet you...?”

“Soraia. It's Soraia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lance.” She shakes his hand tightly, quietly judging his character. Lance leans down and kisses her hand on the knuckles before letting go. Soraia's face is pink in surprise and embarrassment and Tío Tonio is completely red like a cherry, his ears are the reddest part. 

“Well, Tío Tonio was just teaching me how to wire a computer board and we're done so I can keep you company as he cleans up?” Lance states with a bright smile. She blinks and nods slightly dazed as Lance pushes his Tío out of the back room into the office to get cleaned up. “So, Miss Soraia.” Lance starts as she focuses her attention back to him. “How do you know Tío Tonio?”

“We went to college together. He was in the engineering/mechanic field.” Soraia answers as her embarrassment slowly disappears, she adjusts her glasses. 

“Never been to college. What's that like?” Lance inquires curious as he leans against the work bench. She's sitting elegantly with a sense of authority on the stool across from him.

“It's a lot of frustrated teens on their own for the first time without their parent's guidance. Pretty much as close to controlled chaos as anyone is going to get.” Soraia explains with a shrug. Lance tilts his head slightly confused. 

“What does controlled chaos look like?” Lance questions as Tío Tonio comes back cleaned up. 

“Sobrino, imagine your little siblings when they eat just the right amount of sugar that sets them off.” Tío Tonio replies with an amused smile. Lance continues to lean against the work bench with a slight expression of horror.

“OH my god, you mean controlled chaos looks like kids that don't know what the heck they're doing but they're doing it anyway because their friend is doing it?” Lance rambles and Soraia giggles softly. “That's like a horror game. Why would anyone want to do that?”

“It's because it's a rite of passage into adult hood, sobrino.” Tío Tonio answers as he pats Lance on the head. “Don't forget to eat something. Otherwise I see the end of La Chancla.” 

“I'll eat. Don't worry. You both have fun!” Lance says with a knowing smile and runs off before Tío Tonio could do anything to him. Soraia is laughing at them as she takes his arm pulling him away.

“He's adorable, Tonio.” Soraia states with an amused smile.

“He really is.” Tío Tonio answers as they go enjoy their lunch “date”. 

Lance goes back to his ship and begins running the diagnostics again to see where else they had to fix. A list pops up and descriptions are scrolling up as he reads. He makes a list of things to fix first and leaves it on the console when his stomach begins to growl. He stands up and hops out of his ship closing the hatch before closing the garage doors and locking it. He runs into the office and opens the little mini fridge and smiles brightly. He takes out a lightly buttered sandwich containing the perfectly sliced roast pork, thinly sliced ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles, yellow mustard and some fried plantain slices on the side. Lance blinks as he puts all of the food on the table before running out and grabbing the device and heading back into the office. He shuts all the blinds and locks the door before turning it on and looking at the different star systems as he munches on his lunch. He smiles as he reminiscence the different planets that he's been to. The phone rings and he picks it up unconsciously.

“Hola?”

“Lance? Where is Tío Tonio?” 

“Oh, Tía Marcela. He went out for lunch.” Lance answers absently as he moves the map to the Milky Way. He almost drops the phone when he studies the star map carefully.

“Why didn't he take you with him?” 

“He had a date.” Lance replies as he moves the map out to check that he was in the right solar system. 

“..ance, Lance!” Lance flinches as he focuses on the phone call. “Are you listening? Should I call your Papá?”

“I'm sorry, Tía Marcela. I got side-tracked. I'm good.” Lance answers softly slightly sad that he worried his Tía. 

“It's okay. So did you meet his date?” Tía Marcela inquires with a mischievous tone. Lance smiles as he explains Soraia to her excitedly. “Oh my god, Lance did you really kiss her hand?”

“Was I not suppose to? Did I do something embarrassing again? Oh my god did I mess up another Earth custom?” Lance panics slightly as he munches on a fried plantain nervously. She's laughing in the background. “Tía Marcela.” Lance whines back still nervous. 

“Oh, Lance, where did you learn that?” Tía Marcela questions once she gets her laughter calmed down. 

“I saw it on TV. That movie with the really headstrong woman whose the second daughter of five to a country gentleman, you know the one that also has a zombie version?” Lance rambles out in one breath. He hears her laughing again. “Tía Marcela!”

“Oh did Reyna get you to watch it with her? Both versions?” Tía Marcela chuckles as she catches her breath. Lance is sitting in the office pouting at her teasing. “Did you enjoy them though?”

“Of course, the zombie one is weird though. Good but weird. I mean the story is still the same but it has zombies and lots of killing and stuff.” Lance answers with his hands gesturing around animatedly. 

“It also has a TV series.” Tía Marcela states with a smile. Lance sits up excited.

“Wait! Is it as good as the movies? Should I watch it?” Lance exclaims, his hand gesturing wildly. 

“It's good, book's good too since that's its original medium.” Tía Marcela answers with a small laugh. “You still going to the beach to surf?”

“Yup, why?” 

“Just need to know when to expect you home that's all. Got to keep an eye out on our little alien sobrino.” Tía Marcela teases as Lance groans slightly.

“Don't you have little sticky fingers to take care of?” Lance retorts playfully as he shuts the device off and pockets it.

“Sí pero, Luto is now old enough to make a huge mess with the edible paint and the others are all napping so I have time to talk with my sobrino.”

“You're letting Luto roam free with paint? While the other little bitsy ones sleep? Tía Marcela I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean Luto is a little spiting fire dragon. He got like these little claws that just dig into your skin when you're not looking.” Lance explains as he throws his trash into the trash bin. 

“Lance, he's a bit of a troublemaker but he has his reasons. Don't be mean.” Tía Marcela states calmly. Lance sighs and sits back against the wall.

“Lo siento. I just... he gets under my skin. You know.” Lance hears Tía Marcela laughing again.

“He likes you though. Anyway, I should go and stop him from painting the beautiful white wall. Te amo, sobrino.” Tía Marcela whispers as they say their goodbyes. He closes up shop tightly before heading home and grabbing the surfboard that he left against the wall. He takes the board down to the beach and takes in the air and the sounds. It was late-afternoon and the sun was shining down in bright hot humidity. Lance pulls his shirt off and lays it down on the sand next to his flip flops. Lance goes through a few stretches. 

A little away, two girls stand talking in their colorful bikinis. The one on the right has brown, shaggy hair that hangs over a strong, friendly face with sparkling hazel eyes whispering to her friend. The other has black long hair tied in a ponytail with wide blue eyes.

“Madisyn, look it's that guy I was telling you about.” The brown haired girl whispers excitedly pointing at Lance. Madisyn looks and closes her eyes embarrassed.

“Really Sienna! Him? Oh my god. Why did you have to find someone that surfs?” Madisyn exclaims softly covering her eyes with her hands.

“What? He's hot though. Come on Madisyn, you agree right?” Sienna whispers quietly as she takes in the sight.

“Yes, but still....” Madisyn answers hesitantly. “What if he doesn't like girls?” 

“Fine, let's ask Triston what he thinks of the guy.” Sienna states calmly looking for her brown haired friend. “Triston! Come over here.” He comes over with a confused smile.

“What's up?” Triston answers as he rubs sunblock on his skin. Sienna points at Lance and looks at Triston seriously.

“Don't lie to me okay, but is that guy hot?” Sienna questions with concentration at his answer. Triston looks at Lance and takes in his toned muscles and olive-tanned skin. 

“I dunno, from here. He might be hot. Sienna, we're really far from the guy. I'm surprised you noticed him way over there.” Triston replies as he looks over at Madisyn whose not handling her embarrassment all that well. “What did you do to Madi?”

“Told her to look at him and now she's a pile of goo.” Sienna answers with a shrug like it's normal that her friend is turning into a puddle of goo. “Triston, just watch him. I swear he's really hot.”

“If he's so hot, go talk to him. You've never been the one to back down.” Triston urges smiling mischievously. Sienna gives him an unimpressed look before returning her attention to Lance. Madisyn is begging Triston to stop so they can just enjoy the beach in peace. Lance takes that moment to grab his board and head to the waves. “Missed your chance, Sienna.”

“Oh shut up.” Sienna retorted weakly watching him surf. Triston leans down to Madisyn who is sitting on the sand.

“You want to get closer to the water, Madi? It's sort of hot up here.” Triston extends a hand which she takes. “Sienna, you going to drool after the guy the entire time we're here?”

“No, you jerk.” Sienna follows them into the water, occasionally her attention would drift back to Lance surfing.

“He does have a really nice abs.” Triston whispers making her jump three feet. She turns to glare at him whose wearing a shit eating grin. 

“I don't mean to burst into your conversation, but is that a shark?” Madisyn states calmly, internally she's freaking out. She backs out of the water so the water lapses at her feet. Sienna turns to see absolutely nothing.

“There's nothing there, Madisyn. Seriously don't joke about that.” Sienna answers with a frown. Triston whistles as Lance spins the board underneath him.

“Wow, that is fucking amazing. I'm going to talk to him.” Triston states with a determined smile. Lance lazily paddles in. Madisyn and Sienna try to stop him but he just bounces over to Lance as he picks up his board. “Hi, I'm Triston. Those were seriously amazing surfing you did out there.” Lance gives Triston a slightly nervous smile.

“Lance, and thanks.”

“How long have you been surfing?” Triston questions with curiosity. Lance walks towards his spot as Triston follows waiting for an answer.

“This would be my second year.” Lance answers honestly as he sticks the board in the sand. Lance turns and steps back at how close Triston is. “Umm.”

“Seriously? You've only been surfing for two years? That's fucking amazing.” Triston exclaims with starry eyes as he gets to have a better look. “You're really hot. Like I was skeptical since my friend pointed you out but up close, you have really long eyelashes.” Triston rambles as he studies Lance, whose beginning to feel really nervous at Triston's ramblings. “Oh dude, your eyes are a really pretty blue.”

“Uh, thanks?” Lance replies as he wipes the water off his face. He picks up his shirt and puts it around his neck and stick his flip flops on. Triston follows him as he goes to the showers to rinse his board off.

“So I was wondering what's your preference?” Triston inquires innocently with really wide eyes. Madisyn and Sienna are both giving him the “what the fuck are you doing?” face in the distance.

“Preference?” Lance answers as he washes the salt water off the board, checking for dings.

“Yeah, you know. Do you like girls? Guys? I ain't judging if you like guys, cause I like guys.” Triston rambles continues as Lance flips the board over to check the bottom and fins. 

“I haven't thought about it, truthfully.” Lance answers absently as he nods at the good condition of his board.

“So you've never had a girlfriend or boyfriend?” Triston questions in disbelief. Lance lays his board on the grass and rinses the salt off of him which trips Triston up as he just stares. 

“Nope. I needed to study for the Galaxy Garrison test which was extra difficult for me.” Lance answers as he shakes the water out his hair. 

“You want to go into space? I would have thought you'd want to know more about the ocean.” Triston states as he tries to mentally rid his mind of the image of Lance removing the stray drops of water. 

“Space is but a never-ending ocean.” Lance answers as his phone rings. “Sorry, I got to take this.” Triston nods pondering his words. “Hola? No. Okay, I'll drop by and pick it up. Yeah. No problem. Bye.” Lance turns to Triston. “Sorry, I got to go. I have to pick somethings up for my parents.”

“Hey, how often do you surf?” Triston yells after him. Lance turns with his head tilted thinking.

“It depends? Though usually once a week.” Lance replies as he lifts up his board again and walk off. Lance gets far enough that he doesn't see them behind him that he relaxes. “Oh my god, was he flirting with me? Ugh, I need to see Reyna. God Earth customs, I will never get it.” Lance stops by a small store and pokes his head inside. “Mrs. Brisia? Are you in?” Lance looks around a bit confused. “Mrs. Brisia?” Lance opens the door further as he leans the board against the wall. “Mrs. Brisia are you here?” Lance goes to the counter and looks over it. He hears the back door open and a small petite elderly woman comes in. “Mrs. Brisia, good evening.” 

“Oh if it isn't Lancie. Your Papá told me that you'd be the one to pick it up.” Mrs. Brisia states with a warm smile. “Are you busy? I managed to break the light bulb and I can't seem to reach it.” Lance gives her a gentle smile.

“I'm not, Mrs. Brisia. Which light bulb is it?” Lance inquires as the petite woman leads him inside the home and points at a really high up light. There's a new light bulb on the counter. She pats his leg as she goes to get the item. Lance gets onto the counter and begins to twist the dead one out and put the new one in. Once he finishes he gets off the counter and wipes it clean. Mrs. Brisia comes back in with a small package. “Anything else?”

“No Lancie thank you. Here is the package. It was good seeing you again.” Mrs. Brisia gives him a smile as she walks him out to the front. Lance leans down, lifts up her hand and kisses her knuckles with a bright smile. “Oh Lancie, such a gentleman. Now run along and don't get into trouble.”

“Of course, Mrs. Brisia. Have a good night.” Lance picks up his board and gives the woman a nod before walking off towards home. When he returns home, he puts his board on the rack before walking inside. “I'm home!” Lance puts the package down on the hallway table. He looks up at the sound of little pitter patters on the floor.

“Lan Lan!” Estela runs over with huge smile and some chocolate on the side of her face. 

“Hey, Princess! How was your day?” Lance picks her up and swings her around as she giggles happily.

“Ood. Ood.” 

“Your finally home, what took you so long?” Reyna questions from the doorway to the kitchen. Lance gives her a tired smile.

“Detour errand for Papá.” Lance answers as he puts Estela down so she can run off and play. “I'm going to shower, then...can we talk?” Reyna looks at him before nodding slowly.

“Always, baby brother. Now go shower.” Reyna watches him run off before walking back into the kitchen. “I think Lance hit another roadblock, Mamá.”

“He'll overcome it like you did, sweetie.” Mamá answers while chopping up the vegetables. 

“He's most likely worried about getting into Galaxy Garrison as well.” Abuela Jacinta states calmly as she knits a yellow lion. “That boy expects too much of himself sometimes.”

“It's good to have goals though, Jacinta.” Abuelo Raimundo states as he carves out a lion in the wood. Reyna smiles and chuckles.

“Abuelos, are we really making a the Lion pack?” Reyna questions as she sits down next to them. They both smile brightly. 

“Oh yes, we're going to have lions everywhere. Lance already finished three whole lion plushies last night.” Abuela Jacinta answers as she puts the finishing touches on her yellow lion. “Yes, this yellow lion is adorable. What do you think, Rai?” He gives her a gentle loving smile.

“Wonderful. I could also see it with a cute little hat.” Abuelo Raimundo answers softly. They both look up when Lance comes in quietly. “Lance, what's the matter?”

“I think a guy tried to flirt with me today....” Lance replies as he flops on the table next to Reyna. Reyna's laughing so hard that she's holding onto her stomach.

“What's wrong with a guy flirting with you?” Reyna questions through her laughs. Lance gives her the stink eye and closes his eyes tiredly. 

“I dunno, it was awkward. I mean he was sort of in my bubble you know. I like my bubbles.” Lance states into the table. Abuelos are quietly laughing with each other.

“Mijo, we know you like your bubbles, so don't speak into the table.” Mamá states as she begins cooking the vegetables. 

“Sí, Mamá.” Lance answers with his head on his arms. Reyna gives him a smile and nudges his shoulder.

“What's the problem then if a guy flirts with you?” Reyna questions poking him in the shoulder. Lance moves to stop her. 

“Is it normal for a guy to flirt with a guy? I mean TV doesn't do it.” Lance answers as he messes with some of the knitting string.

“Yes, it's okay for a guy to flirt with a guy. Lance, do you like guys?” Reyna inquires while poking the wood shavings. 

“I don't have a preference? Never thought about it. Should I think about it? I mean, I'm alien from outer space. We didn't have time to think about that.” Lance rambles as he pulls at his hair. Abuela Jacinta motions her to take care of Lance. Reyna gently pulls his hands out of his hair. 

“You don't have to have a preference. You don't have to like girls or guys. Lance, brother, take your time. If you want to like girls and guys, like them. If not, no harm.” Reyna feels him wrap his arms around her tiredly.

“Earth customs are exhausting, I don't understand how you live with it.” Lance mutters into her shoulder. Reyna pats him on the back.

“We grew up in it, secondly it's just as exhausting for us as it is for you. We're still fighting for people to be okay with it. Our family is good, because they love love and they spread it like a wildfire.” Reyna answers and Lance hears their Abuelos agreeing with a firm confirmation. Lance lets go and sits back a bit more relaxed. Reyna helps with the cooking as Lance moves over a chair so he's right next to Abuela Jacinta who's knitting a green lion. She stops and moves over and pats the spot in between her and Abuelo Raimundo. Lance gives her a faint smile and sits between them. She hands him a second pair of knitting needles and a black ball of yarn.

“Make the black one dear.” Abuela Jacinta orders softly. Lance nods and starts knitting as the repetitive motions lures him into a relaxed trance. Lance hears the rest of the family come into the kitchen as they all come home from work. He hears the radio turn on and the sounds of the radio emcee speaking. His hands continues to make the little leg for the lion, when he hears the radio emcee speak about the Kerberos Mission. Lance looks up as the entire house silences with only the radio emcee speaking.

“The Pilot, Takashi Shirogane, along with Commander Holt and Scientist Matthew Holt have all disappeared due to pilot error......” The news continues to ramble on about their deeds.

“That can't be possible. I've watched simulations that Shirogane has piloted. There's no way that he'd make a mistake that would cost him the entire squad.” Lance states with a frown. “His flying is almost perfect.”

“Maybe there was a system malfunction?” Tío Tonio answers calmly. “It has happened before.”

“No, this seems weird. I mean, if it was a system malfunction they would have said so. This was almost like they lost contact and had to tell the public somethings to keep them calm.” Lance answers still frowning. “I know, because I've seen it done during wartime.”

“Are you serious, sobrino?” Tío Tonio inquires with some concern. 

“Yeah, we had to tell people that their children weren't coming back because we weren't sure if they were captured or if they were killed in battle.” Lance whispers as he tries to focus on the lion body in his hands. “We always had to assume the worst.” Lance puts the lion down and rubs his eyes.

“It's hard, mijo. Having to tell parents that their children died. I've done it a few times when I came back after tours.” Papá states calmly with the package in hand. Papá leans down to kiss Mamá's cheek. Lance gives Reyna a gag face and she laughs. “Where are the other two children?”

“Out in the backyard.” Tía Marcela answers as she walks in with a smile. “What's going on in here?”

“The Kerberos Mission was a failure and they're blaming it on the pilot.” Lance answers sourly. Abuela Jacinta pulls Lance into a warm hug. 

“Will you be safe at the Garrison?” Abuela Jacinta whispers into his ear. Lance nods in her arms and just lets the smell of her flowery citrus envelop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos, comments, bookmarks, and subscriptions! It means a lot to me. I'm literally jumping and crying at the response! :D


	4. To Galaxy Garrison - To the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is finally heading of the Garrison.

It's the middle of the night, and only the sounds of the family's snores and breathing is heard. The moon is out and the stars are sparkling. Out on the roof, sits Lance as he stares up at the stars wrapped in a blanket. Held in his hands loosely was a letter with the Galaxy Garrison symbol on it. Lance stares down at the letter and blinks back his nervousness. He throws the blanket off and climbs down the roof with blanket and letter in hand. He walks silently through the hallway as he takes in all the little dings and holes from endless playing. The photographs hanging on the wall. He runs a finger over the newest photograph and smiles to himself. There's a photograph with him holding León and Estela in front of his black ship smiling widely. He laughs quietly at the photograph of them in spacesuits for Halloween. He was dressed in his old spacesuit that was all black save for a few navy blue and neon blue accents. He was holding onto his black helmet and León and Estela were in their own versions of his spacesuit in their respective colors and holding their little lion plushies. Reyna was in a commanding officer outfit with the smuggest grin next to them. Lance closes his eyes taking in a deep breath before shaking his head. He walks towards Reyna's room and knocks on the door. 

“Wha?” Reyna replies sleepily. Lance opens the door and walks in quietly. “Lance?” Reyna feels him crawl onto her bed without much of a sound. “What's wrong?”

“I can't sleep.” Lance whines quietly as he pushes his face into the pillow next to her head, making the bed bounce and squeak.

“Is this about the Galaxy Garrison?” Reyna whispers half-asleep and into her pillow. She feels him throw the blankets over their heads and the pillow move. He just hmms as he curls into the blankets and hides quietly. “Lance, use your vocal cords please. It's too early for one syllable answers.” 

“I'm nervous.” Lance mutters quietly.

“About what?” Reyna inquires with sleepy eyes. She looks at him, whose has bags under his eyes and his navy blue eyes are darker than usual.

“Everything?” Lance replies as he tugs at the blanket thread. “I mean, they do more tests that involve biology and stuff right? I'm alien, Reyna. Like my blood is actually tinted purple. I don't know how my biology differs from humans. What if they find out that I'm alien? Tío said that they might do bad things. Find out how I got here and they might come and hurt you guys.” Lance sees Reyna take his hand into hers. 

“It'll be fine. They're not going to find out. Lance, you must believe that they'll never find out. Plus, you have A+ acting so you'll be fine. They'll be too busy with your “stupid act” that they'll never notice.” Reyna whispers with a faint tired smile. “Now anything else?”

“Why did I decide to act stupid again?” Lance questions with a huge grin. Reyna shoves him lightly.

“Go to sleep, Lance. You're sleep deprived.” 

“Can I stay here?” Lance whispers. Reyna just nods and closes her eyes. Lance lays awake listening to her breathing even out and counting the disgusting little dots on the popcorn ceiling. Her breathing lulls him into unconsciousness.

Lance grunts as a huge meteor hits him full force and a small moon attaches itself to his orbit. Lance opens his eyes slowly to see both León and Estela on him in some way. They're both looking at him with huge smiles but there's a hint of sadness behind them. 

“Lance, Mamá said it's time to get up.” León states as he pulls at his arms. “Up!” 

“Up, up!” Estela echoes as she also tugs at his arm. Lance picks them up abruptly making them squeal with surprise. 

“Lance, you're leaving tomorrow....” León mutters into his shoulder as he hugs him.

“I'll be back eventually, little commander.” Lance whispers as he gives him a kiss on the forehead. 

“No! Lan Lan stay.” Estela yells as she hits his shoulder. “Stay here.” 

“Sorry, Princess. But I want to do this.” Lance answers softly as she gives him the biggest puppy eyes with tears. Lance groans at the look. “I want to do this, Princess. Please let me.” Estela hits him and moves to get put down. Lance puts her down with a frown as she runs off crying. León pats his shoulder before asking to be put down as well. Lance sighs as he goes to the bathroom to go through his usual routine in silence. Lance finishes his routine and walks to his room to change his clothes before heading downstairs. The house is full of noise and activity. He strolls through the house looking at everything with a sense of detachment. This has been his home for the last three and a half years. The sounds and smells are comforting to him. Lance goes to the backdoor and watches as his entire adopted family is playing and talking. Mamá and Papá are by the grill cooking up lunch? Did he really sleep all the way to lunch? Both his Tío and Tía are talking with Sorais, Lygia, and Masika. His abuelos are sitting on the patio set drinking tea with Mrs. Brisia. Reyna was comforting Estela and León. Lance just stands there taking in the sounds and atmosphere in a nostalgic trance, before shaking his head and heading back inside to his room. He looks at all of his stuff feeling both a sense of excitement and dread. He opens his locked chest taking out his quarterstaff and holds it in his hands. The weight is familiar and the feelings of duty also exist. Lance bites his lower lip as he collapses the quarterstaff into a slick black stick. Lance slides to the floor with tears in his eyes as he grips his weapon tightly. He rubs the back of his hand against his face trying desperately to rid of the tears. That's how Mamá finds him ten minutes later when she realizes he hasn't shown up. 

“Mijo, what's wrong?” She inquires with a warm concern voice. Lance just holds onto her as he listens to her heartbeat.

“I hurt León and Estela's feelings.” Lance whispers faintly, eyes closed. She rubs circles in his back. 

“They'll be fine, Lance. They will come to understand.” She answers kissing his head. Lance chuckles softly.

“I hope so, cause it's going to be weird not coming home to chaos everyday.” Lance replies as he takes in her cinnamon spices smell. “I'm going to miss your cooking and Papá shooting lessons, abuelo's army of wood lions carvings, abuela's stories of how sewing is not Reyna's thing, working in the workshop with tío and helping out at tía's daycare of monsters.”

“Oh, Lance.” She hears him sniff and hug her tighter.

“I'll miss those little warriors when I wake up late and see their favorite food.” Lance whispers halfheartedly. “It hasn't even been that long since I first came here.”

“And we've loved every minute that you've been with us. You will always be a part of our family, Lance. No matter what happens. Now no more sad tears, you worked so hard to get in and you did. It's a day for celebrating.” She states calmly as she helps him up. He wipes his eyes and gives her a small smile. “Put the weapon away and come downstairs, we finished cooking the food.” She waits for him at the door as he puts his weapon back into the chest and lock it up. The two head down towards the backyard. When they get there, the family starts the celebration with music, food, and dancing. Lance watches as his family has fun and enjoying themselves. Reyna comes over with a smile.

“Hey.” 

“Hey, yourself.” Lance answers absently with a faint smile at everyone interacting with each other.

“You know, this is your party.” Reyna points out as she leans against him.

“It might surprise you, but I've never been good at parties.” Lance replies while fidgeting with his fingers.

“With the amount of fun you have at them? Really?” Reyna teases with disbelief laced in her voice. Lance shoves her lightly from his shoulder. “Aw come on. You were fine at León's birthday party.”

“I was forced into being the evil overlord.” Lance deadpans, glaring at her. “And then I was their lion that they tamed.”

“Well, you do make a really good overlord and lion.” Reyna states smiling widely. Lance sighs as he looks out again. “I've seen you have fun at parties, Lance. What's on your mind?”

“I'm going to miss this is what I'm thinking.” Lance answers as he leans against Reyna with his arms crossed. 

“You remember that one time we went to the beach and a group of girls were hitting on you?” Reyna teases with a large grin. Lance groans and face palms.

“You mean that one time we went to the beach and I didn't understand a word of Spanish or English?” Lance deadpans unamused. “To this day, I have no idea what they were trying to do.”

“Surely, you do know why. We've talked about it, you know.” Reyna points out as she watches Estela ask for a piggy back ride from Tío Tonio. 

“Uh, yes but I'm going to pretend I'm naive on the subject matter.” Lance replies looking at León whose playing with his lion plush. 

“You've flirted with people before.” Reyna argues as she pokes his side. He moves away from her with a glare.

“I wasn't flirting!” Lance pauses thinking. “Wait, I have when?”

“Not telling! I'll only spill when you bring your significant other home to show Mamá and Papá.” Reyna states mischievously before running off as Lance chases after her.

“Reyna! Serious! When the hot chocolate did I do that?” Lance yells as he chases her around the yard. León and Estela see them and begin to chase after Lance laughing. Reyna sticks her tongue out before running around Soraia and Tío Tonio. “Reyna!”

“Catch me if you can, Lance!” Reyna taunts as she runs past him quickly laughing the entire way. 

“Catch Lance!” León yells happily running after him. The adults are laughing as they watch the kids run around the yard. They watch as the kids end up in a pile on the grass laughing and hugging each other.

“Reyna, please tell me. When did I flirt and with whom?” Lance questions between inhales for air. Reyna lays there with a huge grin breathing.

“Nah, not telling still. Bring home your significant other, then we'll talk about it.” Reyna replies as Estela moves tickling her. Lance groans in defeat as the two kids roll around. Mamá and Papá come to take them to a bath. 

“What are you two talking about?” Soraia inquires as she stands over them. Lance tries to stop Reyna from talking only to see her spilling.

“Lance doesn't believe that he flirts.” Reyna answers with a wide grin. Soraia smiles laughing softly to herself. Lance covers his face with his hands as his ears heat up in embarrassment. 

“Oh, Lance. You flirt all the time. Do you really not realize it?” Soraia says while sitting on the grass next to them. Lance shakes his head. Lygia laughs as she comes over with Masika, an arm wrapped around her waist. 

“Lance can be dense sometimes. By the way, here's your twenty.” Lygia floats the dollar bill in front of him. Lance removes his hands to take it with a smug smile. 

“I told you, she'd be the one.” Lance boasts smile still plastered on his face. Lygia kneels down next to him and punches him in the shoulder gently.

“Careful, Lance. She could use you as a bench press and kick your butt in five seconds flat.” Lygia states with a smirk. Masika laughs softly, fond.

“Gia, really? I wouldn't wipe the floor with him. Lance is a light in the night and everyone else is a firebug that is attracted to said light.” Masika answers wrapping her arms around Lygia's neck and leaning against her back.

“What? No, no, no! I don't advertise like a light for bugs!” Lance exclaims with a horrified expression with his eyes wide and his hands in the air. “I don't want to flirt!” 

“That's surprising because I could have sworn you hooked Masi and I up.” Lygia teases as Lance's eyes widen even more.

“It was unconsciously I swear!” Lance answers horrified. Masika snickers as she gives him a warm knowing smile.

“Was it really? I mean you came up to me that one time and started spouting stuff about Gia.” Masika points out innocently. “Totally grateful because there was no way, headstrong, proud Gia was going to come to me first.”

“I would have eventually.” Lygia pouts with her arms crossed across her knees. Lance just stares confused and still horrified.

“Oh my god, Lance is a matchmaker and he doesn't even know it.” Soraia states with a giggle. Lance just turns his head to look at Soraia blankly.

“What?”

“Why do you think I've been around Tonio more? I was a bit oblivious to his feelings at first which is really ironic since he blushes a lot and his entire face turns red. He's also really smart and we have conversations actually conversations. Women love actual conversation.” Soraia answers as Tío Tonio walks over amused.

“Oh sobrino didn't realize you had a harem.” He teases as Lance groans into his hand. Tía Marcela comes over laughing.

“Sobrino has been a ladies man from the beginning, Tonio.” Tía Marcela adds coming up to stand next to Tío Tonio. Lance just lays there face completely red and pleading with the higher beings to give him mercy.

“This is all your fault, Reyna.” Lance mutters out as the rest of them just laugh brightly bringing a small faint smile to his face.

“Well, we'll love to stay, but Masi and I have a dinner date to prepare for.” Lygia states still amused. She stands up with Masika and extends a hand. Lance looks at it before taking it allowing Lygia to pull him up and into a tight hug. “I'm going to miss you pipsqueak. Take care of yourself alright.”

“I will, Lygia. Thanks for coming.” Lance replies into her shoulder.

“I'm going to miss your archery more.” Masika states as she pulls him into a hug as well.

“No way!”

“I'm kidding. You call me if there's anyone you need beat up alright.” Masika orders sternly. “No one messes with what belongs to Gia and I.” Lance chuckles fondly.

“You got it.” Lance replies as they both let go and say their goodbyes to everyone. Soraia pulls him into an abrupt hug.

“Thank you for all the good conversations. Don't forget to eat when your there okay.” Soraia whispers softly in his ear. Lance nods as she gives him last squeeze. “I'll be waiting for updates from Tonio. Don't be shy alright.”

“Of course.” Lance answers smiling. Soraia goes over to Tío Tonio to give him a kiss before saying goodbye to everyone else. Lance stands there slightly dazed until Mrs. Brisia comes over slowly. “Mrs. Brisia, thank you for coming.”

“Not at all Lancie. I had an enjoyable time. I will miss your company though.” Mrs. Brisia states as she holds his hand. “Come back when you have time.”

“I will, Mrs. Brisia. And if you have anything that needs to be fixed, I'll be more than willing.” Lance replies giving her a kiss on the knuckles. Reyna's mouth falls open in surprise before she throws her hands up in exasperation. Mrs. Brisia laughs brightly and gives him a nod before leaving as well. Reyna gives him a raised eyebrow.

“Real smooth, Lance.” Reyna teases as Lance gives a shrug.

“She deserves to feel like the Queen of the World.” Lance states as he heads inside the house to finish packing. Reyna laughs and walks inside. The family relaxes for the rest of the day by watching movies and eating popcorn or playing hide n seek around the house. Lance goes to his ship that they've moved to the backyard shed. He puts a hand on it and the ship starts up and the cockpit door opens. He walks inside and sits in the familiar chair staring blankly at the holographic screens. His hands unconsciously move to bring up all the systems as he focuses on the language floating on the screens. Lance swivels around on the chair and takes in the interior of the ship. The compartment the use to hold his weapons to the first aid kit in the pop up drawer. Lance walks over to it and opens the drawer looking at a silver case before opening it and looking at the ten syringes and the empty two places next to them. “Only ten left?” Lance takes a syringe, pocketing it before closing the rest and putting it back in place. “Okay, Lance this is it. Tomorrow you're at the Garrison. Don't mess up. Make a good impression.” Lance takes a deep breath before shutting down everything and leaving the ship. He spends the last few moments with his siblings and family in the living room until it's time for bed. Lance falls into a nervous slumber.

****

His first feeling after the darkness was the sounds of birds chirping. It wasn't even the feeling of his soft pillows or the blankets that were wrapped, tangled, around his legs. It was the birds chirping. Lance opens his navy eyes slowly, blinking out the sleep. He checks the clock and blinks at the three digits.

“Oh, it's only five in the morning.” Lance yawns as he gets up unable to get anymore sleep. He walks to the bathroom and stares at his reflection. His hair is sticking up in all different directions. He stares with sleepy eyes until deciding to actually go through his morning routine. Lance walks downstairs after changing his clothes and looks through the pantry and fridge. Pulling out the coffee beans, Lance starts up the coffee machine and pull out the eggs, bacon, chorizo. He absently cooks breakfast as the family slowly wakes up one by one. Mamá comes in with a kiss on his cheek as she helps out. The family gathers around the table and have breakfast with loud talking. The sound of silverware hitting plates and plates being passed around are heard. 

They finish eating before all of the family goes out to the front with Lance and his luggage. He stands there in his Galaxy Garrison uniform with a hesitant smile. 

“Oh, mijo, you look wonderful in that uniform.” Mamá states proudly as she puts her hands on his arms before bringing him into a hug. He hugs her back tightly, face hiding in her hair.

“Thank you for everything, Mamá.” Lance whispers in her ear. “I'm going to miss you.” She pats him gently on the back.

“I'll miss you too, hijo. Take care of yourself. Call home when you can.” She orders with a smile and tears in her eyes as she steps back. Lance nods when a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind.

“Remember what we taught you, hijo. Give yourself a break sometimes. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't great.” Lance hears his Papá's voice state strongly even though he feels his arms shaking lightly.

“Sí, Papá.” Lance manages to turn around and hug him tightly. He hears his Papá gasp in surprise. “Thank you for taking care of me all these years.”

“Of course.” Papá said as he kissed his forehead. “We'll take care of the fort until you come back.” Lance gives him a nod as he steps back and notice his Papá's glossy eyes. His Tío and Tía come over next to give him a hug and their well wishes.

“Sobrino, I made something for you.” Tío Tonio states as he pulls out a hand size cell phone. Lance takes it looking at the device from all different angles. “It can be used as a phone, but the main feature is that blue button right underneath the volume button.”

“A main feature of a cell phone isn't the phone itself, Tío?” Lance inquires amused. Tío Tonio gives him a grin.

“When you are alone and feeling homesick, click it okay.” Tío Tonio states with warning. Lance smiles as he pockets it in his pocket.

“Gracias, Tío Tonio.” Lance replies with a big smile. Tía Marcela gives him a fond smile, holding onto his hand.

“Remember to be the best person you can be always and have fun.” Tía Marcela advises with a knowing smile. “Don't overdue it okay?”

“I'll try not to Tía Marcela but no promises.” Lance replies cheekily. She rolls her eyes giving him another hug before standing back. The abuelos both give Lance a tight hug.

“Now Lance, Abuelo Raimundo and I made something for you.” Abuela Jacinta pulled out a green jacket and a leg strap. Lance looks at the leg strap confused before taking them in his hands. There were pockets on it. “The jacket because you will look good in it, and no nieto of mine is going to look horrible.” 

“The leg strap will be a nice addition, so you can carry stuff hidden from prying eyes.” Abuelo Raimundo states with a smile. Lance gives them both a tight hug.

“Gracias, Abuelo Raimundo, Abuela Jacinta. I appreciate this.” Lance whispers softly a bit teary eyed. They both pat him on the back encouragingly. Lance stands back and feels two pair of arms hug his legs tightly. Lance looks down and sees León and Estela holding him. He kneels down and moves them into huge hugs. 

“Lance!” They both yell out. Lance blinks in surprise looking at Estela. 

“Estela?” Lance whispers softly. She gives him a wide smile. 

“Lance! I got this.” She pulls out a small piece of paper and hands it to him. Lance takes it and opens it as a huge smile appears on his face. 

“Gracias, mi pequeña princesa.” Lance whispers as he kisses her knuckles with a wink. Estela giggles and gives him a tight hug.

“Ima miss you, Lance.” She says with tears forming in her eyes. Lance closes his eyes as he holds her.

“I'll miss you too. Keep your brother in line okay.” Lance answers softly as he feels her nod into his chest. Lance lets her go and looks over at León whose on the verge of tears. “Oh, León I'll be back.” Lance blinks when León pushes something into his chest. He takes it gently from León's hand and smiles at the small wood carving of a lion. Lance gets an armful of crying León after he takes the lion. Lance holds him and rubs his back humming the lullaby from long ago. “Next time I come home, I'll tell you more stories about space okay?” He nods into Lance's shoulder, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and walking off towards Mamá. Lance stands up and looks at Reyna sheepishly with a hand rubbing the back of his head.

“Come here, little alien brother.” Reyna orders warmly. Lance comes over and gets the tightest hug and he feels her shaking as he wraps his arms around her. “I'm going to miss yah, alien bro.”

“I'll miss you too, crazy sis.” Lance replies chokingly. She steps back wiping the stray tears. She turns towards Papá who hands her a small bag. She takes it and hands it to Lance. Lance looks at her confused before opening the bag and pulling out his black slick stick and quiver of needles. “Wha?”

“We wanted you to have something to protect yourself. And your stuff is still the most inconspicuous compared to your rifle and bow. It can pass off as a baton and acupuncture needles.” Reyna replies with a small smile. “We wanted to give you a way to take your armor too, but alas here we are.” Liquid falls from his eyes as he wipes them furiously.

“Gracias, Reyna, mi familia.” Lance whispers with a smile as tears fall down his face, as he puts his stuff in his pocket.

“Go get them, Lance. Reach for the stars!” Papá states with a proud teary smile. Lance nods as the Garrison car pulls up. He gives them a salute before getting into the car. He watches as they become smaller in the rear view mirror, before taking a deep breath with his eyes closed and releasing it and opening his eyes determined.


	5. Hello, Roommate. Name's Lance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First days are the hardest or so they say.

When he signed up for the Galaxy Garrison, he wasn't expecting dull earthy colors in the middle of the desert. Not that he was expecting rainbows and green grass, either. Nope, this was a desert which was completely different from the oceans he was used to. It made his throat dry and his eyes hurt from the same colors taking up the entire scenery. Lance's first impression of the Garrison was one of dust and sand and nothing else. He wasn't impressed with the color scheme or the location, but he really wasn't here to go swimming or make art so.... He suppose it would have to do. He watches as more cadets got off and started to mingle with other cadets. His skin was crawling with nervous energy. He sees a teen with a yellow headband holding onto a box, and green jacket over his long yellow sleeved shirt. His eyes are roaming the area looking at everything in awe. Lance keeps his distance as more cadets begin to fill up the courtyard. There's a petite short haired person with the biggest glasses on their face that Lance as ever seen. Weird. Lance tightens his fists in his pockets as he feels a strange pull towards them. Lance sighs as he takes in the staff and instructors. They look intimating and the most unfriendly bunch he's going to have the pleasure to meet, unless you count his other drill instructors. His mind wanders as their faces just become blurs.

_“What are you doing, Warrior?” A voice booms over him. “How many times do I have to tell you, worthless piece of shit? Move it!” ___

Lance shakes his head and blinks in the cadets in the desert once more. He keeps looking at all of the students and listening to instructions from the instructors who are talking to each other. He hears students' voices rise and look at the commotion with squinted eyes, it was the one with the yellow headband.

“Hey move it big guy. Geez, taking up space.” One of the cadets mutters as they walk past the person harshly, bumping into his shoulder and making his box drop to the ground. Lance watches as the yellow headband cadet lean down to pick up his box with a sigh; the awe gone and only tired eyes remain. Lance walks past the rude cadet and casually trips them up, walking away before they realize who did it.

“Cadets! On the board is your room assignments. Find your name and head over to your rooms. Then meet in your organized classrooms. Your dismissed!” One of the instructors states loudly making all of the students move to do what they're told. The little petite person jumps up and down trying to find their name before getting on their knees and crawling through the crowd towards the board. Lance notices a teen with black hair and the strangest hairstyle walk right past him dressed in red. Lance blinks at the pull and mentally stomps the feeling out. He walks towards the board as the cadets clear up and look for his name. After finding it, Lance walks towards the room in silence. When he gets there he realizes that he sharing it with the one the yellow headband from before. Lance puts his stuff on the bed as his roommate turns around and jumps a few feet in the air.

“Oh my god!” He's clutching his chest and breathing a bit heavily. Lance sits there blinking in surprise. “Dude, I did not hear you come in. What are you a ninja?”

“Um...no?” Lance answers hesitantly as he allows his roommate to breath. Lance takes in his appearance, his earthen skin and bright brown eyes. He looks up at him from where he's sitting, like dang he's tall, maybe 6'1” or even 6'2” like holy cow, he wasn't any taller than 5'10” compared to the fluffy giant across from him.

“I'm Hunk, guess you're going to be my roommate for the next few years?” Hunk introduces himself with a friendly grin.

“Lance, I suppose I am.” Lance replies with a small smile. “By the way, are you okay?” Hunk blinks back confused. “In the courtyard.” Lance watches as a flash of recognition passed through his eyes.

“Oh yeah, I'm totally fine.” Hunk brushes it off with a strained smile. “Anyway, are you going to unpack?” Lance sits quietly on his bed thinking.

“Nah, maybe later.” Lance whispers loud enough for Hunk to hear. “We should head over to our assigned classroom soon.”

“Oh right.” Hunk answers as they walk out together. Lance listens to the sounds of the building, feeling the earth underneath his feet. Hunk's presence brings a strange sense of calm and Lance isn't sure what to fully think about it. “Hey, Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“You saw what they did?” Hunk whispers uncertain, fidgeting with his fingers. Lance turns to look back at him and notices how crestfallen he is.

“I did. Don't know if it'll make you feel better, but I did trip them.” Lance states calmly and he sees Hunk stop, eyes wide.

“You're the one that tripped them? Oh man, you could get into so much trouble.” Hunk answers with some concern.

“People who bully others usually can't take care of themselves in a physical fight.” Lance states nonchalantly with a shrug. “Plus, they could have been nicer about it. Like rude much, wonder if their mothers ever taught them manners.” Lance continues walking but stops to look at Hunk. “You coming?”

“Oh yeah, coming!” Hunk walks up to him and they proceed towards the assigned classroom. “You feel different.”

“Whoa hold up, we just met. That's a weird thing to say.” Lance looks at Hunk with slightly alarmed eyes. Hunk blinks in confusion.

“What's wrong with what I said? I just said that you feel different from other people.” Lance gives a slightly pained expression but it disappears so quickly that Hunk questions if it was there in the first place.

“Nothing, it's nothing. Anyway, what do think our classmates are going to be like? I hope that asshat isn't in our class.” Lance rambles on as they walk towards the classroom. Hunk shrugs.

“I dunno, man. I didn't really get to talk to any of them.” Hunk answers calmly. He takes in Lance as he just steamrolls through topics.

“You know, this is actually my first time out of my hometown. I don't usually go this far away from home. How about you?” Lance questions with an eager smile.

“Same, I'm actually really nervous. Like dude, what if I just fail?” Hunk exclaims as they get closer to the classroom.

“I'm sure you're not going to fail. You wouldn't have been accepted if you weren't good enough. The fact that you're standing here proves that you should be here.” Lance answers as he gives him an encouraging smile. “Seriously, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.” Lance strolls through the doors and into the classroom. Hunk walks in after him. The room is filled with their other classmates and Hunk hears Lance groan quietly. “My luck sucks. Hunk, if my horrible luck attaches itself to you, please know that I am so sorry.”

“Lance?” Hunk questions looking at him with concern eyes. Lance points over at the cadet from before. “Oh!” Lance gives him a sheepish smile and shrugs before looking at the other cadets in the room. Lance notices the little petite cadet with the large glasses sitting in a seat reading through...a fighter manual? The cadets all sit down in chairs when the instructor walks in with a tablet. Lance listens as the instructor starts to talk about the program. Another staff member walks in with a book cart that held books and tablets. The cadets gathers their books and supplies before the instructor gives them a few pages to read. Lance blanches at the page numbers, sighing to himself. The instructor leaves them to their own devices for the rest of the day. Hunk groans into his arms. “Homework already? Dude, I don't know if I'm going to be able to read all of it.”

“No kidding, ugh.” Lance mutters studying the other cadets as they interact with each other. The cadet from before walks up to them and Lance unconsciously tenses as Hunk curls into himself.

“Why the hell am I in the same class as fatty?” The cadet sneers and Hunk curls tighter into himself. Lance's eye twitches. “I mean how the hell are you going to fit into a suit?” Lance stands up abruptly making the chair scratch against the floor, gathering everyone's attention. Hunk looks up worried. Lance's eyes stare at the cadet. “What?”

“While you might fit in a suit, because of the way you look. Make no doubt that the size of your brain is the size of the crushed peanut underneath my foot.” Lance deadpans as the cadet grabs his collar.

“Lance!” The classroom is silent as they watch the interaction.

“Please take your judgmental hand off of me.” Lance states with a calm like water sitting in a glass. Hunk is panicking as the cadet rears their other hand back to punch. Lance blinks bored watching as the fist comes at him and dodges it. “Your punches are weaker than my little sister's, and she's three.” 

“Lance! Come on, stop taunting them.” Hunk states as he looks between the two. “It's not worth it.”

“Hunk, what did I tell you before we entered the classroom?” Lance states calmly. “If anyone shouldn't be here, it's judgmental people like them whose not going to get along with their teammates because they think they're superior!” The cadet throws him against the tables and walks out with their friends. Lance blinks back the specks of black before taking Hunk's outreaching hand.

“Lance, are you hurt?” 

“Yeah, my little wounded heart is slightly bruised by their stupidity.” Lance answers smirking up at Hunk. Hunk laughs and the worry eases from his tense body.

“Lance, thanks really.” Hunk whispers loud enough for him to hear. Lance pats him on his back.

“No problem, buddy. Now we should find food and start reading.” Lance states while rubbing his hands together. Lance and Hunk both head out without realizing the pair of brown eyes following their movements. Lance sits across from Hunk in the cafeteria with a book out and a good amount of food in front of him. Hunk's plate of food was filled to the rim and he was just inhaling it. “Buddy, seriously chew. You're going to choke.” Lance smiles amused as Hunk slows down to chew. “What program are you doing?”

“I'm a engineer. What about you?” Hunk questions between spoonfuls.

“Fighter pilot. Why an engineer?” Lance inquires munching on a spoonful of food, eyes still focused on Hunk.

“Oh, that's because I've taken apart so many things and put them together that I'm pretty good with fixing things. Plus, I can't really see myself as a pilot or a communications officer.” Hunk states proudly.

“So if I break something, I should bring it to you?” Lance inquires with a grin. Hunk gives him a small smile.

“I guess. Not sure I'll have time to fix it though. So why fighter pilot?” Hunk questions munching on his food. Lance looks down at his hands with a slightly nostalgic smile.

“My sister thinks I would make a good fighter pilot. Plus, I've always wanted to fly in space.” Lance recounts softly that Hunk is surprised. “Though I suppose we'll have to see if my skills can get me my license.” Hunk nods and returns to his food while Lance turns to his book and reads. Hunk watches as Lance sighs digging through his pockets looking for something.

“Something wrong?” Lance looks up with a sheepish smile, stopping his digging.

“Uh, do you know what this word means? I'm not a native speaker and I've never seen this word.” Lance asks while pointing at a word in the book. Hunk looks at it and nods. Hunk goes on to explain the word and what the paragraph means while Lance blinks uncomprehendingly. “Um...could you repeat that a bit slower?” Hunk blushes in embarrassment and nods. The two spend the entire time eating and going through their books. Lance helps with the more fighter pilot sections and Hunk with the engineering stuff. The two head back to their shared room. Hunk goes to shower first allowing Lance to unpack his stuff in relative peace and quiet. He takes his items and puts them in a drawer. Once he finishes unpacking he pulls out the syringe and hides it with his quiver of needles. Lance is laying on his bed when Hunk comes back out drying his hair. 

“You can use the shower now.” Hunk states and watches as Lance nods, blinking something unseen away. Lance grabs a towel and heads to the shower. Lance stands in the shower letting the water fall over him with his eyes closed. Lance gets out of the shower with only the towel wrapped around his waist and water dripping down his still damp hair. Hunk looks up and stares as Lance digs through his cloth looking for something comfortable to wear. “Dude, how is your body toned and sculpted?”

“Hmm? Oh, I have to thank my abuelo for it. He's a retired sculptor.” Lance replies cheekily with a smug grin. Hunk gaps at him as he changes into a t-shirt and some shorts. “It's probably my surfing and shooting practices.” Lance starts to dry his hair as he sits on the bed across from Hunk.

“Is there anything you don't do?” Hunk questions as he flips a page in his book.

“Yeah, I can't build or fix things to save my life. Tell me what to do and I might be able to build something.” Lance replies as he throws his towel to the side. “By the way, what page did you get to?”

“Thirty two.” Hunk replies as Lance groans and rolls on his bed. Hunk chuckles as Lance rolls for a bit before pulling out his own book and notepad. They spend the next few hours reading and asking questions. Hunk notices the small dictionary halfway through the study session but refrains from saying anything. Hunk looks up once more after a few minutes of hearing nothing but his own page flipping to see Lance leaning against wall books opened in his lap sleeping. “Huh? That's a peaceful sleeping face.” Hunk puts his book down and walks over to Lance and shakes him gently. “Lance?” He feels him tense underneath his hand before relaxing as he recognizes him.

“Hunk? What time is it?” Lance whispers out rubbing his eyes.

“Late. You want to call it a day?” Hunk questions as Lance sits there blankly, which sorts of alarms Hunk but Lance quickly returns back to normal.

“Are you? I mean I still have twenty more pages to read.” Lance answers while rearranging his books in his lap. 

“Another fifteen at least. Man, I just want to sleep.” Hunk complains as he plops on his bed. Lance gives a tired smile before returning to his books. After both of them finished with their reading, they turn the lights off. Lance hears Hunk knockout before allowing himself to fully fall asleep.

Unconsciousness sometimes isn't as blissful as one thinks. Lance knows it like a second friend. His first being death with a capital D. Lance doesn't remember much from before he was ten but he remembers the screams and the heat, the scorching heat. How that heat burned his back as he was running. The screams of those around him. But for the life of him, he can't remember anyone's faces except his sister's. He remembers his sister's face as her eyes are wide and there's fear in her blue eyes. Why were they running again? What were they running from? He can't hear what she's screaming at him even though her mouth is moving. He's not comprehending the situation, because all he feels is the heat burning his back and the smoke in his lungs while he gasps for air.

Lance's eyes snap open as he sits up breathing hoarsely clutching at his chest. The only other sound in the room is Hunk's even breathing. Lance's shaking hands go looking for his cellphone and clicks the blue button and looks at the blue star map that appears, filling the room in a gentle blue light. Lance glances over at Hunk whose still sleeping unaware. Lance leans against his wall staring blankly at the stars, basking in the familiar light. He moves the star map to the Milky Way and stares at the planets with a blank stare for a few minutes. Lance looks down at his cellphone taking in the time and sighing to himself. He shuts the star map off and gets out of bed quietly not to wake Hunk. He heads to the bathroom and gets through his morning routine and come out as Hunk's alarm goes off. He pulls out his leg strap and attach it to his thigh before putting a few needles on the strap. Lance changes into his uniform. He puts the jacket on over his undershirt and turns to Hunk whose sleeping through his alarm. He walks over to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Hunk, buddy? It's time to get up.” Lance says softly but he rolls over. “Oh so that's how you want to wake up.” Lance grins mischievously as he walks back into the bathroom and comes out with a cup of cold water. Lance drops droplets of water onto Hunk's head watching with amusement. Hunk wipes it away still asleep. “Hunk, seriously don't make me pour this cup on your face.” He smiles at Hunk's open mouth and pours a bit in, watching as Hunk sits up, coughing on the water. “You okay there?”

“Dude! You could have just woken me up normally?” Hunk sputters out trying to get his breathing back to normal.

“I did, but it didn't work.” Lance answers as he puts the cup on the table and starts to zip up his jacket. “Okay, I'll try not to do it again. How should I wake you up next time?” Lance looks for his belt and puts it on. Hunk stands up and walks towards the bathroom thinking.

“Shake me? Violently?” Hunk states from the bathroom. Lance puts on his boots as he hears the water running.

“I dunno, man. What if that doesn't work?” Lance replies as he sits on his bed waiting for Hunk to come out. Hunk comes out and puts on his uniform.

“It'll work. It usually does.” Hunk replies as he puts on his boots. “Or just say something about food.” Lance raises an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Serious?” Hunk nods as he grabs his tablet. Lance grabs his as the two make their way towards the cafeteria for breakfast. Lance sees a teen with a black mullet walk past him and his head follows the teen, stopping to look. Hunk stops a few feet in front of Lance with a confused look.

“Lance? What's up?” Hunk questions as he watches Lance watch the teen. Lance blinks and shakes his head.

“Nothing, I just...it's nothing.” Lance states absently looking at his retreating back.

“You're looking at that guy.” Hunk whispers quietly nudging him in the shoulder. Lance glances up with an absent look in his eyes.

“Do you ever just see someone and think I've seen that face before but I just can't remember where I saw it?” Lance answers absently in a strange trance. Hunk bends his head down to look at Lance's navy eyes with concern.

“Lance?” Hunk questions and he watches as the trance breaks and Lance gives him a strained smile.

“Sorry, that was weird. I could have sworn I've seen him before.” Lance replies and starts walking again. “Anyway, food! Eggs? No no there has to be waffles. I want waffles.”

“I dunno if they're going to cook cadets waffles, Lance. This isn't a luxury camp. Though, I hope they have pancakes with tons of whipped cream and fresh fruit. Yum.” Hunk answers as they continue walking towards the cafeteria. Hunk listens to Lance talk about his hometown and his adorable little siblings. Hunk notices the nostalgic and fond smile that would appear every time Lance mentions his family. There was no pancakes or waffles when they arrived in the cafeteria, but there were the usual eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, butter, etc. Lance grabs a small plate of the breakfast food while Hunk grabs a plate full. They go to a corner of the cafeteria to eat. Lance is reading on his tablet the Garrison news as he takes a bite of his egg. 

“Oh, our schedules are posted. Hunk what does yours look like?” Lance states as he looks up at Hunk whose pulling out his tablet and pulling up his schedule. He slides his tablet over and Lance takes a look. “That sucks, we only have two thirds of our classes together.”

“That makes sense though, Lance. You're a pilot and I'm an engineer.” Hunk points out as they both finish up their meals. Lance shrugs as he picks up his plate and tablet. 

“Okay, I guess I'll see you later than since our first class isn't the same.” Lance waves as he walks off. Hunk takes his plate and returns it to the cleaning station before heading off to his first class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on tumblr, kairakara101.tumblr.com


	6. Flight Simulation - Oh Boy

The classroom for pilots consists of two rooms. One room has all the desk chairs in front of a lecture board while the other room has individual simulators and where the students and instructors can watch each student's progress inside the simulator. The class was set up to hold two classes of pilots, the cargo and the fighter. Lance stands in the back against the wall watching, studying all of the cadets as they mingle with each other. He closes his eyes and tries to listen to the conversations happening all around him.

“I wonder who our flight instructor is?” a female voice questions from his right. He hears the group giggling at some joke he missed. Lance notices the shift in the air before actually opening his eyes to take in the change. He sees a black haired stoic cadet leaning against one of the simulators on the other side of the room. Their eyes meet from across the room, purple to blue. The room noise seems to fade as they stare at each other. A loud thunder clap makes Lance break contact to focus on the tall instructor. 

“Today we will start with the basics of the simulators, your job as a pilot for either cargo or fighter, and the radio codes.” The instructor states with authority as he walks from the door to the front of the simulators. “First thing first, all of you in a chair, stop standing around!” The cadets scurry to find a seat as the instructor pulls out his tablet and attach it to the screen. The instructor begins his lecture droning on and on about certain radio codes and when to use them. Lance pulls up his notes from the night before and scrolls to the radio codes page. His eyes scans his notes with a slightly amused smile. His notes were written in symbols and strange markings, well strange to the average eye. When had he started mixing his native language in with his short-hand again? Lance decides it probably doesn't matter and return his attention to the instructor who was on the verge of yelling a cadet's ear off. A cadet next to him mutters under their breathe.

“Not everyone can remember radio codes in less then 24 hours.” Lance internally cringes when the instructor starts grilling the cadet next to him. Lance looks up and notices the class looking at the spectacle next to him. Lance tries to remember what the instructor was asking before putting a hand in the air quickly as the cadet next to him was beginning to tear up. The instructor turns his heated glare at Lance who looks straight ahead unblinkingly.

“Which code is it, Cadet?” The instructor hisses in Lance's face watching him carefully. The entire class is holding their breaths as Lance continues to stare straight ahead without flinching.

“It's Ten-Four sir.” Lance deadpans, blinking once as the instructor stands up straight and walks away. Lance closes his eyes before looking over at the poor cadet and mouths. “Are you okay?” The cadet nods slowly before focusing their attention back on the instructor whose going through the rest of the codes. After another half hour spent on codes, the instructor gives them a break and immediately leaves the room. Lance sits back in his chair with a soft sigh to himself. The cadet next to him plops down in the chair next to him.

“Thank you for the save earlier. I didn't think the instructor was going to hear me.” The cadet says gratefully with a huge grin. “Aren't you that guy that dropped the peanut burn yesterday?”

“You're welcome. That depends on who's asking.” Lance answers as he writes down symbols on the cadets that he's observed.

“It depends on what exactly?” The cadet questions curious. Lance stops writing and puts his stylus down. Lance looks over to the cadet.

“Are you going to be seen by me? Bullying, or abusing anyone?” Lance answers honestly with an overly sweet smirk. The cadet shakes their head and sits back relaxing. Lance turns back to his tablet and writes down his notes. He looks up and sees the violet eyed teen staring at him. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You've already did but go ahead.” The cadet answers with their feet on the chair in front of them.

“Whose that guy in the front that is glaring at me?” Lance states as he makes a note of the violet eyed teen. The cadet looks down at the roomful of cadets.

“Which one?”

“The one with the weird hairdo that's leaning against the wall, thinking that he's cool.” Lance answers without looking up, working on this piece of notes. The cadet takes in the other cadets and sees the teen.

“You mean the one with the mullet?” The cadet points out.

“Is that what's the hairdo is called?” Lance inquires with a raised eyebrow. The cadet nods messing with their phone. 

“I was told that the guy's name is Keith Kogane. It's rumored that he was close with the pilot of the Kerberos mission.” The cadet continues after a moment of silence. “He's supposedly a good pilot himself. The instructors have high hopes for him.”

“High hopes huh. That's a heavy burden.” Lance mutters under his breath as he finishes up his notes. The cadet looks at the tablet with the strange writing and stares confused.

“What the fuck is your tablet?” The cadet blurts out. Lance gives a smirk as he closes his tablet. 

“That's a secret, one you won't be able to decode.” Lance answers still smirking and giving the cadet a playful wink. 

“By the way, I'm Halvor.” They replies while moving a little in their seat.

“Lance.” Lance returns to his tablet and continue writing notes and add Halvor onto his description in his native language. Halvor pulls their feet down when the instructor comes back in. The cadets all go back to their seats as the instructor begins lecturing about the roles of cargo and fighter pilots.

“Remember cargo pilots your jobs are to get the package and cargo from point A to point B. You shouldn't have a problem of getting your jobs done. Fighters! You have to be aggressive in your attacks because you are our first line of defense against anything we find out in space.” The instructor states as he paces from one end of the room to the other. The instructor quickly, like all in one breath, explains the controls on the simulators before strolling over to the simulators themselves. Lance finishes up his notes and glances up straight into the violet eyes belonging to Keith. Halvor is standing next to Lance a bit confused.

“Who are you?” Keith questions abruptly and Lance stands up grabbing his tablet.

“You'll have to introduce yourself, otherwise I'll just call you mullet.” Lance states calmly staring back. The navy blue and the violet eyes stays focused on each other, while Halvor is standing next to them, uncomfortable.

“It's Keith. So who are you?” Keith answers slightly annoyed by the nickname. Lance extends a hand. 

“I'm Lance.” Lance answers as Keith takes his hand to shake. Lance shakes it with a wink before walking off. “Halvor, Keith, we shouldn't keep the instructor waiting.” When they arrive in front of the simulators, the instructor goes into lecture mode. Lance feels Halvor and Keith stop next to him as he continues to writes notes as he instructor speaks.

“These simulators are open for all cadets from after the last class finishes to curfew. Remember if your score is lower than fifteen hundred and you are a fighter pilot, you will be demoted to cargo pilot. There will be no questions asked on why you are below the score. The score that we will accept is those done during official class times only. Therefore, if you come here to practice and get a score higher than fifteen hundred but your class core is off by two points, you are still cargo pilot.” The instructor explains with a stern voice as he stares the cadets down. “It does not work both ways. If there is room in the fighter program, you might have a chance to move otherwise you will still be a cargo pilot.” A cadet raises their hand. “What?”

“If a fighter pilot fails to reach the score, is there a grace period to gain back the score and keep their position in the fighter program, sir?”The cadet asks swaying back and forth on their heels. The instructor walks over to the simulators.

“You will only have one week to make sure you stay on or above fifteen hundred.” He turns to the simulators and turn it on. “Now we'll have all of you do your first simulations. The score will be displayed on this board here.” He pulls out his tablet. “Okay the first few students to go through the simulators are Kogane, Velten, McClain, Malkus, Afanasievna, and Xiaojing. Get in the fucking simulators!” Keith strolls to them with confidence. Halvor gulps as they take a step towards the simulators of doom, nervous with sweat rolling down the side of their face. Lance walks while taking a deep breath and letting it out. The other three cadets get into their simulators. 

Lance studies the controls in front of him and sigh softly. There were more hand controls and panels than he was used to. He goes through his way to familiarize everything from what he read the night before. The simulation starts up and his navy eyes narrow falling into a slight trance. He fumbles with the controls trying to get comfortable using it as he barely dodges enemy fire. An enemy fighter ship comes straight for him shooting their weapons and Lance moves the control stick to the left swiftly making the entire ship turn sharply. Lance blinks as he maneuvers his ship into a loop chasing after the enemy ship before locking onto and firing the weapons. He glances at the sensors and curses under his breath as more enemies show up behind him firing at his ship. As he moves his ship out of the way, a command from the command ship makes his attention snap away from the battlefield. 

“The enemy's weapons are being prepped!” A voice states as the sound of weapons firing. His eyes widen as his body stiffens and he sees Galran ships instead of the training exercise. Lance gasps as the enemy hits his ship making it explode and ending the simulation. Lance closes his eyes tightly as he tries to relax in the dark, breathing slightly labored. Lance gets up and takes one deep breath steeling himself for the horrible score that could be up there. When he gets out Halvor puts their arm around his neck giving him a wide smile.

“You did pretty good. Look.” Halvor points at the overall board as another cadet gets into the simulator to start. Lance glances up and sees his score is in the middle between the overall score of twenty five hundred and the fighter minimum of fifteen hundred points. Halvor's score was a bit above the fifteen hundred points. Lance takes in the scores on the board.

**Pilot Simulations Scores ******

1\. Keith Kogane – 23,547  
2\. Arjan Malkus – 22,454  
3\. Lai Xiaojing – 21,321  
4\. Lance McClain – 20,598  
5\. Halvor Velten – 15,985  
6\. Anastasia Afanasievna – 15,764

“Not surprised by Kogane's score. Are you?” Halvor questions, arm still hanging over Lance's shoulders. They're practically draped over Lance. Lance shakes his head still staring at his number. It could have been worse for a first time. “By the way, Kogane alert.” Halvor whispers resting against Lance like he's a pillar. Lance removes his attention from the board as Keith comes over.

“I saw your score. I was expecting you to get a higher score.” Keith states calmly as Halvor straightens up ready to fight, Lance puts a hand on their shoulder with a head shake. 

“I don't know where you got the impression that I was good at piloting, but it might be best to keep the expectations on a low level.” Lance answers while poking Halvor in the side cause they wouldn't calm down. Halvor pouts at Lance and gives Keith a I'm watching you with his fingers seriously. Lance snickers at Keith's confused face.

“Either way, try not to fall out of the program.” Keith states as he walks away from them. Halvor looks between the two of them before looking at Lance.

“Why does it look like he's picking a fight with you? And why is he?” Halvor questions as they look at the new changes in the scoreboard. Lance watches as Keith walks away. 

“I dunno. Why are you so aggressive?” Lance inquires returning his attention to the scoreboard as well.

“Sorry, I have trouble making friends and the cadets here aren't the most friendly bunch.” Halvor answers scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. Lance nods as more scores are added to the list. “Why are they creating a divide between cargo and fighter pilots?”

“No idea.” Lance pulls out his tablet and returns to writing more notes down on the cadets. 

“You almost feel like an instructor, bro.” Halvor points out as he returns to leaning against Lance. Lance shrugs as he writes in the numbers. “Like you're obsessed with writing notes, that I can't fucking read.” Halvor sees Keith watching them from the other end of the room. “Seriously, I think he's obsessed with you for like no apparent reason.” 

“Kogane? I don't know why he's obsessed, Halvor. I didn't do anything. Though I'm going to beat is score.” Lance answers absently. “Mark my words. I will defeat his score.” Halvor chuckles as one of the other cadets from the first selection stood a few feet away. “Halvor, go talk to them. They won't punch you.” 

“You don't know that!” Halvor hisses quietly. Lance stops writing to look at them with a raised eyebrow. 

“And you won't find out if they aren't going to punch you if you stand next to me.” Lance states calmly as he gives them a gentle nudge towards the cadet. “Go or I make you wish you never spoke to me.” Halvor gives him a betrayed look before walking shyly over to the cadet. Lance puts his tablet away and goes looking for Keith. He finds him standing off to the side watching the cadets. “Are you always a wall flower?”

“No?” Keith answers Lance gives him an unbelieving look.

“You do know what a wall flower is right?” Lance questions with a large smile. Keith looks away as he nods.

“Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?” Keith answers with a scowl and crosses his arms while focusing on the scores.

“Never mind. Why are you in the program?” Lance inquires with curiosity as he studies Keith from the corner of his eye.

“I'd rather not talk about it.” Keith replies still staring ahead. Lance opens his mouth but the instructor speaks up first.

“Now that everyone has done the simulator, this class is dismissed.” The instructor walks out. Lance watches as Keith leaves the room and Halvor comes to meet him.

“He's got problems. Anyway, what's your schedule?” Halvor asks as they pull Lance out of the room. They meet up with Hunk in their next classroom.

“Hunk!” Lance says with a large grin. Hunk embraces Lance in a bone crushing hug. 

“Lance! I know it's only been a class but it's good to see you. Who's this?” Hunk inquires with a friendly smile.

“Oh this is Halvor. They're in my pilot class. Halvor, this is Hunk, my roommate.” Lance introduces still grinning. The two give handshakes and a friendly smile. “What is this class about? I didn't look at the description.”

“Math and basic mechanics.” Hunk replies grinning. “So you know what's is wrong with your ship without an engineer.”

“Hunk, buddy. I have you and we've talked about how bad I suck at it.” Lance teases, a playful smile on his face. “I'd probably make it worse, then we'd all be dying while screaming.”

“I'm not going to be on all of your mission, Lance.” Hunk points out with a smile. Halvor laughs as they lean against the wall.

“By the way, why were you speaking with Kogane earlier?” Halvor questions as they cross their arms, with a pointed look.

“I just wanted to get to know the guy better. Is that wrong?” Lance replies while leaning against Hunk, who wraps a supporting arm around him, holding him up.

“Who's Kogane?” Hunk questions tilting his head curious. Lance relaxes allowing for the unknown tension to ease out.

“He's a fighter pilot with a mullet. Can't miss him really.” Halvor answers with a shrug. “He's the current gossip on base.”

“Oh, I heard about him. If he shows up, point him out. I want to know.” Hunk states with a smile as Lance continues to melt in his arm. Halvor sees the cadet from before, gives both Hunk and Lance a I'll be back face, running off to greet them. “Lance?”

“Sorry, I had a rough morning.” Lance answers softly, basking in Hunk's friendly presence. Hunk looks at him concerned. 

“You want to talk about it?” 

“Maybe when we're in our room? Plus, I just remembered something I didn't understand.” Lance answers with a small smile. Hunk sits him down on a chair and waits patiently. Lance pulls out his tablet and opens up a page. Hunk goes through it before explaining what it means and what it would do in a ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was soo hard. I'm slightly disappointed in it but I hope you guys still enjoy it. Like I have trouble writing Keith. How do you write him? 
> 
> Secondly, I was working on my notes for this story and accidently started writing a later chapter in a later arc which is why this chapter is coming out now instead of last week. Oops!
> 
> Find me on tumblr: KairaKara101.tumblr.com


	7. To Breaking Curfews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for their comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc. I really enjoy reading and receiving them. 
> 
> I also wanted to give everyone a heads up on updates, I'm starting school this week so they might become more sporadic and less frequent. Also feel free to talk to leave a comment if you get confused on anything.
> 
> Thank you for your support!

“Hunk, buddy, how long have we been here? Like actually here at the Garrison?” Lance complains as he lays on his bed reading his notes.

“I dunno, a few months why?” Hunk answers while building something at his desk. His tongue is sticking out as he tries to smother the metal wires together.

“I miss real food you know, like the stuff my Mamá makes.” Lance whispers rolling onto his belly to watch Hunk work.

“Oh I agree, man. I can just taste my mom's food on my tongue. Oh my god my mouth is watering at the thought!” Hunk chuckles as his shoulder shakes. “You know Lance, you're starting to get a reputation around here.”

“What? Really? Is it a bad one? If it includes flirting I don't want to hear it ever.” Lance replies putting his notes on the bed next to him.

“Well...there was one where some people want to date you and more.” Hunk states hesitantly as he connects the wires and hears Lance groaning behind him. “But I was actually thinking about the rumor that you're the person to go to if someone is bullying them.” Lance raises his eyebrow confused.

“Why? Why would anyone go to me for?” Lance states; his eyes following Hunk's hands as they do delicate work on whatever it is he's building.

“Well, you do stop bullying. Lance, you're in the principal's office more times than I can count on my hands. Sometimes I'm in there with you.” Hunk exclaims fondly. “Ouch.” Hunk sucks on his finger to relieve the burn. Lance looks at him concern and Hunk waves it away. “Lance, I know you don't like it when people bully others, but please don't get into fights.”

“I'll try but no promises. I can't seem to keep promises that well.” Lance mutters near the end. Hunk still hears it and frowns as he attaches the surface back on the project. Hunk finishes up his project and swivel in his chair to look at Lance closely. Hunk notices the self-deprecating smile on his face and stands up, pulling Lance into a bone-crushing hug. Lance blinks and relaxes into the hug. “Sorry.”

“No worries.” Hunk answers putting him down. “By the way, I heard you managed to get neck and neck with Kogane.” 

“Yes! Oh my god, it took me longer than I expected to get familiar with the controls.” Lance exclaims excited. “I mean, I should have gotten used to it like months ago.” Hunk smiles as he listens to Lance go on about his classes. “Oh and that one time you out-shined that dick was fucking amazing, Hunk. Like I knew that guy couldn't have a brain bigger than that non-existent peanut.”

“I think he's picking a fight with you Lance.” Hunk states calmly while looking through his notes. “I'm hearing rumors about it.”

“I'll deal with it, when it comes.” Lance replies absently looking at the project on Hunk's desk. “What is that?”

“Oh, it's a cough drop maker.” Hunk replies with a shrug. Lance blinks confused, poking it with a hesitant finger.

“Cough drops? Why did you make a cough drop maker?” Lance questions with his eyebrows scrunched together. 

“There was a cadet in one of my classes that is allergic to the cough drops that they sell at the garrison store.” Hunk replies sitting on his bed as Lance licked his dry lips looking at the finer details.

“How does it work? Hunk, buddy. You have to show me how this thing works.” Lance urges with a huge smile. “Come on, please say you have supplies for it.”

“I don't have any but the cadet whom I'm giving this to does.” Hunk answers while putting on his boots. “They have a really bad cough and it got worse when they tried one of the cough drops from their friend. Like infirmary bad.”

“Ouch, is the cadet okay?” Lance questions putting on his own boots. Hunk nods with a smile and takes the object in his hand. The two walk out of their room as Hunk leads the way to the cadet's room. “By the way, we're getting our teams this week right?”

“Yup, each team gets a pilot, a communications officer, and an engineer.” Hunk answers as he knocks on one of the doors. It opens to reveal a small cadet with the biggest warmest eyes Lance has seen next to his little sister, coughing into their elbow. “Hey, I finish the cough drop maker.” 

“Thank god!” The cadet coughs out hoarsely. They let the two of them inside and pull out the ingredients. “I really appreciate this, Hunk. I usually have my homemade ones but I used them all.” 

“No problem. If you run into more problems, I'll be happy to help.” Hunk replies as Lance watches as the cadet puts everything together and the maker coughs out drops. 

“Oh my god, this is fucking amazing.” Lance exclaims watching it work. Hunk laughs with a warm smile. The cadet gives Hunk a nudge on the arm smiling and wrapping up the cough drops with gloves on. “Can I have one?”

“What? A cough drop? Sure I guess. Just don't use it if you don't need it.” The cadet answers caught off guard. Lance grabs one of the wrapped cough drops and pockets it. 

“We're going to go. If it breaks tell me okay?” Hunk informs the cadet as they nod. Lance pulls Hunk out of the room and they walk around talking about their homes and family.

“Hunk?” Lance mumbles nervous. Hunk glances at Lance with a tilt of his head.

“Yeah?” Hunk answers focusing intensely on him. He notices Lance fidgeting with his hands and wiping them on his pant.

“Hypothetical question, what if you have a friend that you're really close with, like you'd tell them everything and they know you and you know them. But they keep one really big secret from you, like life changing and mind-blowing. Would you hate them for it?” Lance questions while looking at the wall as if it was the most interesting thing on the planet; probably wasn't. Hunk blinks at the scenario, unsure and thinking. 

“I won't hate them. I might be angry and hurt that they didn't trust me enough to tell me. But I also understand that they might be scared to tell me so I probably wouldn't be angry for long.” Hunk states calmly before putting a hand on Lance's shoulder. “What brought that up suddenly?”

“I was just curious. You're a really nice person, Hunk.” Lance answers smiling softly to himself. “By the way, you want to go see the stars tonight?”

“Lance, it's against curfew to be out of our rooms.” Hunk points out with an amused smile. Lance grins turning to him. Hunk sighs at the expression and knows that he's on the losing end of the fight.

“Come on, I heard there's suppose to be a meteor shower tonight. I need to see it!” Lance states with puppy eyes. Hunk gives a fond nod. “We'll sneak out some snacks and watch them fly. This will be great. You will be so glad that you'd skipped out on curfew.”

So sneaking out of their rooms would be slightly difficult since there are nightly patrols and stuff. Well it would be difficult if you didn't have the patrols memorized like Lance did. Hell, Lance snuck out more times than he could count. Usually he snuck out because it made him feel calmer after a nightmare. Being away from his home gave him a sense of danger at all corners, except when he was with Hunk. For some strange reason, Lance feels safe with Hunk around him. Maybe it was Hunk's friendliness and large heart that could encompass everything and everyone. 

The two manages to sneak past every patrol with ease. They both have a bag slung over their shoulders with snacks and drinks. When they make it to the secluded roof, Hunk lays out a blanket as Lance takes out the snacks. Lance lays down on the blanket staring at the night sky with his arms underneath his head. Hunk is laying next to him watching the sky in silence. The meteors start coming down in small amounts as light streaks through the sky. Lance hears the door opening and glances over his shoulder to see a small petite cadet walking to the edge of the roof with a backpack slung over their shoulder. Hunk follows his glance quietly and his eyes widen in surprise as the cadet pulls out really intricate equipment. The cadet puts the headphones over their ears and studies the screens. Hunk and Lance share a glance, before Lance gets to his feet excited to meet a fellow curfew breaker. Hunk follows after Lance interested in the equipment. Lance grins mischievously sneaking up to the cadet. Hunk shakes his head with an amused smile. Lance takes the right headphones off.

“Going to a concert for one?” Lance whispers into the cadet's ear making them jump. They turn to glare at the two. 

“No, I'm just looking at the meteor shower.” The cadet replies with a frown. “Aren't you that fighter pilot that got into a fight with the Duchess?” 

“Duchess? Who the hell is that?” Lance exclaims while plopping himself down next to the cadet's equipment. Hunk was already looking at it with awe. “And this is definitely not Garrison Tech. Where did you get it?” The cadet swats Hunk's hands away.

“The non-existent peanut. And I made all of this.” The cadet replies with a smug smile. Lance smiles amused as the cadet swats Hunk's hands again. “Will you stop touching my stuff?”

“He won't break it if that's what you're worried about.” Lance points out leaning back on his hands. “I'm Lance and this is Hunk. What's your name?” The cadet looks at both of them with some suspicious behind their large circular glasses.

“It's Pidge. I'm in your classes.” Pidge replies as they go back to looking at their equipment. Lance looks up at the streaks of light in the night sky. Hunk studies the equipment without touching it, itching closer and closer.

“What does this stuff do?” Lance questions without looking away from the sky.

“Oh this looks like a scanner!” Hunk exclaims excited as he gets even a closer look without touching it. 

“How? Yes, with this device, I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system.” Pidge replies blinking in surprise at Hunk's outburst. Lance looks at the screens trying to decipher the messages.

“All the way out to Kerberos?” Lance inquires with curiosity and frowns when Pidge groans irritated. “Okay, what's the deal with Kerberos? Why do you always seem to blow up when people bring it up?”

“Last warning, Hunk! Stop touching my stuff.” Pidge states with a frown. Lance points at a section on the screen.

“What does this say? And don't think you got away with the Kerberos thing.” Lance states as the same sound wave pattern shows on the screen.

“It's the same sound wave pattern, which means they're saying the same word. I think the better question is why is there sound wave patterns in the first place?” Hunk questions sitting back, away from the equipment with a disappointed frown; he wanted to look at the equipment more and see how it was made. Lance frowns as he processes the information.

“You're saying there are aliens? Other living lifeforms out in space?” Lance exclaims while internally snickering to himself.

“Yes, it's been picking up alien radio chatter.” Pidge states with a tilt of their head. “You two aren't going to call me crazy?”

“Are you?” Lance questions as he continues to look at the screen before turning to Hunk and pointing at it.

“No.”

“Then you aren't crazy. So what does this alien radio chatter say? I don't read sound waves.” Lance states calmly as he leans back against Hunk. 

“They keep repeating the word Voltron.” Pidge states as they point at a notepad drawing with lovely colors of crayons. 

“Voltron? What's Voltron?” Hunk inquires wrapping an arm around Lance's waist to steady him as he studies the screens.

“I don't know what Voltron is, but whatever it is I think it's powerful.” Pidge answers as they sit back a bit relaxed. Lance closes his eyes listening and feeling Hunk's breathing.

“Wait, is it here? On earth?” Hunk questions confused as Pidge shrugs.

“I don't know. It could be anywhere.” Pidge replies while packing up their stuff. Lance sighs softly to himself.

“Why do you go ballistics when the instructors mention the Kerberos mission?” Lance whispers quietly with his eyes still closed. He can hear Pidge gasp out and Hunk stiffen behind him.

“You are seriously the most persistent person ever. The Kerberos Mission wasn't lost because of some malfunction or crew mistake. So stop asking me.” Pidge answers angry as they put their backpack on their back.

“Of course not. Takashi Shirogane isn't that type of pilot. He was... is the garrison's best pilot.” Lance answers as he opens his navy eyes. Pidge frowns as they blink their eyes rapidly; they could have sworn that Lance's eyes glowed for a moment there. Pidge gets up and heads towards the door. “Don't stick your nose to far, Pidge. The garrison doesn't like that.”

“Back off, Lance. I'm going to figure out what they're hiding.” Pidge answers determined as they open the door and sneak back inside. Hunk glances down at Lance with some concern.

“You've been kind of strange today.” Hunk murmurs softly as Lance sits up away from him. Hunk frowns as Lance stands and glances up at the sky. “Lance?”

“Am I...a good person?” Lance whispers as he clenches his hands. “I didn't force them did I? Fuck.” Hunk stands up alarmed as Lance wraps his arms around his legs curling into himself. “I did...I made someone do something they weren't comfortable with....” Hunk pulls Lance into a hug.

“It happens, Lance. It's what makes us human. We make mistakes.” Hunk states concerned as Lance stiffens in his arms. Hunk could tell something was wrong with Lance. Hell they've been in each other company for months. But sometimes there were moments that Hunk couldn't understand why Lance acted or said certain things. It was weird to experience the different nuances of who Lance was. It almost felt like Lance was two different people sometimes. Lance sighs and pulls away; Hunk lets him.

“We should call it a night. It's late.” Lance murmurs with a faraway expression. Last time Hunk saw that expression was when he caught Lance one night after he woke from a nightmare. Lance wouldn't say what woke him up in cold sweat and Hunk couldn't bring himself to actually push Lance for answers. Lance walks toward their stuff silently before cleaning up their snacks. Hunk frowns but helps to clean it all up. Lance slings the backpack over his shoulder and crawls onto Hunk back tired. Hunk raises an eyebrow as Lance mumbles into the back of his shoulder incoherently. 

“Lance?” Hunk whispers but doesn't get a reply and his breathing has evened out. “Serious? Asleep? You never cease to surprise me.” Hunk smiles to himself as he sneaks back inside and to their dorm rooms for the night.


	8. Scheming is bad when people like Lance gets Ideas

For once, Lance is not next to him but rather practicing in the simulators trying to out do Keith. Hunk believes that Pidge is avoiding him. Well, maybe avoiding is the wrong term? Hunk knows that he keeps missing them by seconds. He can't talk to them in class because they come in seconds before the instructor and is gone within seconds after the instructor leaves. It takes Hunk two weeks, five days, sixteen hours, thirty minutes, and 5 seconds to actually corner Pidge long enough for a conversation to happen.

“Pidge! I've been trying to catch you long enough to talk about that thing we talked about two weeks ago.” Hunk states with a friendly smile. Pidge turns to look at Hunk with a slight frown.

“I don't think we should talk about this out in the open.” Pidge replies as they huff their books in their arms. Hunk takes their books into his arms as he lets them lead the way to somewhere more private. “I'm surprised that Lance isn't with you. The two of you seemed to be attached by the hip.”

“We're not always together. He has a few classes that I'm not in.” Hunk replies as they enter Pidge's room that they share with a quiet cadet, who thankfully is not in. Hunk puts the books down on the desk and sits on the ground. “By the way, how's working with Kogane?”

“He's quiet, rash, reckless, stubborn. Not to mention he has a difficult time following orders from the instructors. Our mechanic keeps asking him to tell him what is wrong with the ship. How's working with Lance? Is he still making you vomit?” Pidge questions as they pull out their computer and hands Hunk a journal with information that they'd gathered in the months there.

“Oh it's fine. I think at first he wasn't use to piloting with passengers because he's made it a lot smoother since the first simulation, so I'm not feeling nauseous anymore.” Hunk answers while reading the notes. “Are you sneaking out tonight?”

“Yes. I need more information and I'm going to get it.” Pidge states as they type into their computer pulling up chat logs from their latest scans. “They're still saying Voltron and some other stuff but I don't have an alien language translator.”

“Would you mind if Lance and I came out with you?” Hunk questions pausing on the beginnings of a chart. Pidge glances up from their work and shrugs.

“Not really. Try to make sure Lance doesn't get us caught.” Pidge states returning to their work on deciphering the alien language. “How are you friends with him?” Hunk looks up in confusion. “With Lance. He seems like an outgoing guy. He gives off the hate him or like him sort of vibe.”

“Well, he's a bit different once you get to know him. Sometimes, he feels layered like the ocean.” Hunk answers leaning against Pidge's bed. “Plus, he stood up for me when no one else would and he's my roommate. Sort of difficult to not become friends with him.” Hunk smiles fondly remembering the moments with Lance. “You know I think you'd enjoy his company.”

“Really? He's really talkative and does he even have real interest in learning about the technology?” Pidge questions putting their computer down on their lap looking at Hunk from behind their glasses. Hunk smiles brightly.

“Yes, he is. We might have to explain it a few times and slowly but he genuinely likes learning about it.” Hunk answers while putting the journal down. “You'd be surprised by his insight into certain things.”

“I see. So what did you want to talk about?” Pidge questions quietly thinking about all the possible questions that Hunk could ask.

“These aliens, what are they doing and how close do you think they are?” Hunk inquires as he copies some of Pidge's notes into his own journal for later research.

“I don't know. I believe maybe the edge of the galaxy at the very least.” Pidge answers returning their eyes to the screen trying to find something in the language before closing the computer tired at the strange language. Pidge puts the computer down on the bed, rubbing their eyes with the back of their hand. Hunk stands up with his journal in his hand before quickly pulling Pidge into a tight hug. Pidge gives out a startled gasp at the warm hug. “What?”

“I'll see you tonight, Pidge.” Hunk states as he puts them down and walks out the door, leaving Pidge confused in their room. Hunk walks through the halls with a small smile. He can't wait to tell Lance about their little escape tonight. Lance seems to brighten a lot when the two of them seem to do their bi-weekly escapes to the roof at night. He hears the commotion before actually coming up upon it. 

“Take it back!” An angry male voice yells echoing through the hallway. Hunk frowns at the familiar voice. Hunk pushes gently through the crowd getting closer to the middle. Hunk is surprised to see Lance holding Keith back with a one of his eyes closed tightly. “Shiro didn't make a mistake!” 

“Kogane! Stop.” Lance states calmly as he can while holding back an angry Keith. The other cadet sneers. “You're giving them what they want.” Keith struggles against Lance's hold, lashing out. Lance notices Hunk and gives him a help me look.

“Shirogane isn't here and the entire Kerberos Mission team is considered KIA.” The cadet argues back. Keith manages to break out of Lance's hold and before Hunk can get a grasp on the situation.

“Kogane!” Lance tries to grab him again when the booming voice of Garrison Staff echoes over the cadets. Lance manages to pull Keith back before he managed to punch the cadet in the face. The crowd of cadets part like the red sea for the staff member. “Kogane, you need to calm down now.” Lance hisses quietly into his ear.

“What in the damn universe is going on here?” The staff member demands loudly. The cadet opens their mouth, but Lance gives them a hard glare. Keith goes to say something but Lance steps on his left foot in warning.

“They were just having a heated argument, sir.” Lance deadpans staring straight into the staff member's eyes, challenging him to disagree with him. The staff member growls at the involved cadets.

“It's you three troublemakers again. Cadet McClain, Cadet Kogane, Cadet Fraser. Follow me. Everyone else DISPERSE!” The staff member demands as the cadets scatter leaving Hunk standing there worried. Lance gives him a small grin and a wink. Hunk smiles nervous watching them walk off with the staff member. Lance walks between Keith and the other cadet while following the staff member. No one is talking and the atmosphere feels like it's choking him. You could almost slice the air with a butter knife. Keith has his arms crossed over his chest while the cadet is strutting down the hall. Lance sighs internally as he massages his temple trying to remove the growing headache. The staff member motions the three cadets into the staff room before sitting down in their chair looking at them with their arms crossed. “Explain what happened.” None of them say anything. Keith is glaring at the wall next to him. Cadet Fraser is looking in the opposite direction. Lance closes his eyes tired with all of it. When the silence begins to get uncomfortable, Lance opens his eyes staring directly into the staff member's eyes calmly.

“There was a disagreement between these two cadets over the information on the Kerberos Mission, sir.” Lance states calmly without removing his eyes from the staff member. The staff member frowns at the knowledge.

“Cadet McClain, please stop getting into these situations. While we appreciate you trying to stop it, you could get injured. You can leave.” The staff member states and dismisses him. Lance gives a salute before leaving the staff lounge to see Hunk waiting for him.

“Hey, you didn't get in trouble for it did you?” Hunk questions while he fidgets with his hands. Lance smiles softly and gives Hunk a hug for good measure. Lance feels Hunk's tense shoulders relax slowly.

“I'm good. Worried about Kogane, because he is one of the main participants in this fight.” Lance replies stepping away with a tired smile. Lance sees Hunk look at his eye carefully. “It's fine, Hunk. It might be a bit purple tomorrow. I'll probably cover it with my sister's concealer.”

“You have your sister's concealer?” Hunk questions in disbelief. “Where do you hide it?” Lance smirks amused. Hunk chuckles as Lance moves a finger to his lips and winks playfully. Lance turns to see Cadet Fraser leave with a sneer directed towards Lance. Keith comes out frowning and sees Lance and Hunk before leaving swiftly away from them. “Woah, is he okay?”

“I dunno. Shall we go then? What did you do while I was in the simulators?” Lance questions as the two of them walk off to their room. Hunk explains his little meeting with Pidge and their plan for the night. Lance is smiling brightly by the end of the conversation.

****

That night when Lance, Hunk, and Pidge arrive out on the roof, they see Keith sitting near the edge with his legs dangling over the side and a bag sitting on the ground next to him. The three share a glance before Pidge walks closer to Keith. Lance and Hunk both watch as Pidge puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Keith?”

“Oh Pidge.” Keith turns to see both Lance and Hunk standing a bit away. “When did you become friends with McClain?”

“It was weeks ago. They caught me out here. Why are you out here?” Pidge questions as they begin setting up their equipment away from the edge of the roof. Hunk and Lance come closer to help set up the equipment that they're carrying. Keith watches them with interest.

“Just wanted some fresh air.” Keith replies absently as the three quickly set up a command station amount of equipment.

“Lance, can you attach this wire to the back of that console. Hopefully we can get more radio chatter tonight.” Pidge orders as they hand Lance the wire. Lance takes it quietly and plugs it into the console and sits back once they start up the devices. Hunk sits down in front a screen and keyboard typing into it as Pidge is typing into their own keyboard. Lance looks up at Keith and gives him small smile. Keith scrunches his eyes together confused by Lance's actions. “Keith, come over here. You're going to fall off edge and then we'll be in trouble. I refuse to scrape you off the cement floor.” Keith crawls over to look at the screens as Lance puts the headphones on and listens to the alien chatter.

“What are you guys doing?” Keith questions confused at all of the stuff laid out in front of him. Pidge gives him a smug smirk as they lean back from their typing.

“We're listening into alien radio chatter. I want answers and I feel like I'll find them in outer space.” Pidge replies still smirking though there's a hint of sadness and melancholy in their expression.

“Aliens?” Keith whispers in disbelief. “Really?”

“Yes. They're out there.” Lance answers as he hands Keith the headphones. Keith ignores it. “You can listen to them. Pidge, they're still saying Voltron and some other crazy alien shit.”

“You know, looking at these repeating series of numbers. It reminds me of a Fraunhofer line.” Hunk points at his screen. Keith looks at him confused. “It's a number describing the emission spectrum of an element. Problem is, this element doesn't exist on Earth. At least it's not known about.”

“You think this element is or could be Voltron?” Lance questions with a raised eyebrow as Keith shakes his head still not believing. 

“Yes, and I might be able to build a machine to look for it, you know like a Voltron Geiger counter.” Hunk states with a proud smile. Pidge's expression becomes a bit brighter.

“What's that paper?” Keith points at the small sheet of paper on Pidge's journal.

“It's what the wavelength looks like.” Hunk explains while sitting back. Lance puts the headphones back on and listens to the chatter. Keith takes it in his hands and looks at it.

“This...I think I've seen this before....” Keith mutters to himself. Pidge and Hunk looks up at him with curiosity. Keith pulls open his bag and pulls out a huge map.

“What in the world is this about?” Pidge questions frowning. Both Pidge and Hunk take a look at the map and all of the taped pictures with their strings to certain locations. Lance frowns while looking up at the stars listening to the radio chatter. 

“I leave the Garrison sometimes at night. There's something...some energy that was telling me to search.” Keith replies while putting his gloved hands down on the map. “I think it's leading me to this section but it takes a long time to actually get there so one night wouldn't cut it.” Lance snorts before laughing softly to himself. The other three look at him with a raised eyebrow.

“What the heck man?” Hunk questions as Lance takes the headphones off. Lance gives them an amused smile.

“Sorry, I just thought of something funny. So do we need to go out to this location or something?” Lance states looking at the map, diverting their attention back to it.

“We can't. Keith says it takes more than one night to get there.” Pidge replies while sitting back on their knees. Lance hums as he studies the map for himself.

“We should make it a field trip or something. I want to know what's there.” Lance whispers as he leans back and stares up at the stars with the headphones in his lap.

“We can't though, Lance. If we leave it's considered AWOL.” Pidge points out as they look at their screens. Lance lays down and closes his eyes.

“We could always ask for a two day leave or something.” Lance states listening to the sounds of environment. He can hear everyone's breathing as they continue their conversation.

“Keith, you should join us when we do this. I'm going to unravel the Garrison. They're lying about the Kerberos Mission. I believe this will prove it somehow.” Pidge states looking at Keith with a smug smile knowing that they managed to get his attention. “I heard about what happened earlier today from my roommate.”

“Does everyone know about that?” Keith asks exasperated. Lance laughs in disbelief.

“Oh boy, does everyone know about it? You and Fraser were the loudest thing that has happened since I broke that bully's nose.” Lance states, opening his navy blue eyes to look at Keith's. 

“I can't believe that you broke his nose, Lance.” Hunk states still slightly disappointed but proud too.

“Oi, he shouldn't have picked on that poor girl. It's not her fault that she has difficulty learning at the same pace as everyone else. Plus, he sort of deserved that one.” Lance states calmly as he cross his arms over his chest. “It was worth the ten page paper I had to write afterwards.” Lance closes his eyes, thinking as a thought comes to his mind. “You know, the only way we're going to get a look at that location without asking for a leave or pretending that we're sick would be to get expelled from the Garrison.”

“Lance! We all worked hard to get here. We can't just make ourselves get expelled for something that might or might not be there.” Hunk exclaims with wide eyes. Keith looks between the two before looking at Pidge. They shrug pulling up files and running software to try to decipher the alien language. Lance smiles and nods.

“I know. Which is why we're going to have to do it either by leave or by pretending to be sick and sneaking back in during daylight.” Lance states as he sits up giving Pidge their headphones. “It could be fun, if no one knows what we're doing.”

“Are you volunteering?” Keith questions folding up the map and putting it into his bag again. Lance smile turns into a Cheshire grin. Hunk groans, face palming. He knows that expression. He knows that means Lance has crazy ideas in his head.

“Please, Lance whatever it is you're thinking don't.” Hunk mutters out exasperated. Lance shakes his head still smiling.

“Too late~” Lance answers in a sing song voice. “I'll inform you guys of my plans when I finish planning it. It's going to be amazing.”

“You're going to get into trouble.” Keith points out while shaking his head. 

“Only if I get caught.” Lance replies as Pidge and Hunk begin disassembling the equipment to sneak back into their rooms.

“You're crazy. If they catch you, they will expel you.” Pidge answers as they finish pulling out the wires and begin to coil them up.

“Okay, next time we're out here. I'm going to need details on this location and how far it is from here. I'll figure out how to get there and get back without anyone realizing I'm gone.” Lance states with an eager smile. Hunk's putting some of the screens into protective cases.

“If you want to get expelled, I'm not going to stop you.” Keith states firmly. “It'll be nice to get rid of my rival.” Lance rolls his eyes amused.

“That's only if they find me. Which they're not so we'll still be rivals, neck and neck.” Lance replies as he helps put the heavier equipment into their bags. Keith rolls his eyes and gives up. They pick up their gear and head back inside for the night. Hunk and Lance sneak back into their room. Hunk falls asleep as soon as his head hits his pillow. Lance lays on his bed thinking quietly. He's heard that alien language before and it makes his blood boil underneath his skin. The things the alien radio chatter has been saying...well he's ready to get expelled and return home to get his ship. If he has to fight by himself against the aliens, he'll do it. He'll do it for those that have been so very kind to him. No one deserves what the Galran Forces can do and bring. No one. Lance sighs and closes his eyes, allowing for unconsciousness to blacken out his mind's thoughts.


	9. Cave Markings and You Fucking Little Shit

“Is he really going to do it?” Pidge questions under their breath next to Hunk as they work on their group assignment. Hunk is filling out some data and making calculations needed to repair a fighter jet.

“I think so. He keeps writing notes and leaving them in his desk drawer. Of course it's in his secret code that he uses so no one can read it.” Hunk states softly as he erases a mistake from the paper. Pidge glances up studying their fellow cadets and the instructor. They're all working on their own calculations while the instructor is reading something on their tablet.

“He's going to get himself expelled.” Pidge whispers as they cross out the last equation and using a different one. 

“Sometimes he likes taking risks like this.” Hunk replies smiling at the completed equation. He hands it over to Pidge who checks it as they hand Hunk theirs. Pidge sighs softly as they lean back against their chair.

“He's crazy.” Pidge states plainly as they finish reading the paper. Hunk chuckles and nods in agreement. They both hand in their project and get dismissed from class early. The two of them walk through the halls and see Lance leaning against a wall reading his tablet as Keith is a bit away looking at the magazines. “What are you two doing?” 

“Waiting for you two. Our class got canceled for some stupid reason.” Lance answers as he continues to read his tablet. Pidge and Hunk share a glance. Keith comes over and hands Pidge a piece of paper from their simulation. Lance sighs when he hears a voice yelling his name from down the hall. Hunk gives him an amused smile. Pidge and Keith turn to look at the whirlwind that comes and pounces Lance. “Hello, Halvor. I thought you were hanging out with your girlfriend.”

“Thanks so much!” Halvor states happily with a huge grin on his face. Lance blinks confused and looks at Halvor who's dangling off his back. “Lance, I came to you to ask you about how I should court her, three days ago. Remember?” Lance nods slowly as Halvor gives him another smile before running off to his girlfriend who's at the end of the hall smiling at the scene.

“That was random.” Hunk states with a fond smile. “He really comes and goes.” Lance shakes his head looking at Hunk.

“How is this my life?” Lance inquires giving him a small smile. Keith rolls his eyes amused.

“You're a bleeding heart.” Keith deadpans as Pidge looks at the couple from behind Lance.

“Lance, did you hook them up?” Pidge questions studying the two as they walk off. “Because it would be almost impossible to get their contrasting personalities to accept each other.” Lance chuckles sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. Pidge glances up at him in disbelief. “What did you do?”

“I didn't do anything. I swear! Why does everyone always assume I had a hand in it?” Lance whines at their expression.

“You're a flirt, Lance.” Pidge points out. “You probably flirted with everyone by now.” 

“Hunk, please tell me I don't do this.” Lance states in a slight panic. “Oh my god I did it again!” When Hunk just gives him a fond smile not denying anything. Keith shakes his head as the four of them walk towards the cafeteria for something to eat.

“Are you still planning on doing it, McClain?” Keith questions when they all sit down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria lounge. Lance looks at them and nods with a shrug. Not a big deal really. Lance has the the majority of the plan finished. Just a few more problems he has to figure out before actually executing it.

“Why do you write in that weird code?” Pidge probes munching on their lunch. Hunk glances at the open tablet with his notes written in strange symbols. Lance looks down at his tablet before smirking.

“Because I know no one will be able to read it.” Lance answers sipping his drink. “I don't like people reading my stuff.” 

“Would you teach it to me if I asked?” Pidge inquires smiling curious. Lance chuckles leaning back against his chair with an arm draped on the backrest of Hunk's chair.

“It's hard to learn, took me over fifteen years to learn it. In fact, I still have trouble with some of it.” Lance answers smiling nostalgically while tracing the symbols with his empty hand. 

“So like a language?” Hunk points out as he munches on his lunch. Lance nods blinking back his own thoughts. “Does this supposed language have a name?”

“Yes, it’s Vaorianese.” Lance replies fondly. “I could teach it but I'm a horrible teacher. And half of it is all shorthand so....” Pidge frowns but finishes their lunch.

“So when are you doing it?” Keith questions as he sips his drink watching Lance.

“I'm planning for two nights from now. Shouldn't be too difficult.” Lance states calmly looking out at the rest of the cafeteria. “Plus, I'm just looking for the place first. Research can come a bit later.”

“You're making this more than one trip?” Hunk states when he realizes that Lance plans more than one trip. 

“Yup. There's no way we're going to learn anything if it's a one time deal. There's just too much ground to cover.” Lance answers quietly, eyes scanning the cafeteria at everyone that enters and leaves.

“You're really doing this?” Pidge questions in disbelief. “Just a reminder, if they catch you. They will expel you.”

“Expel? Ha, that's the worst they can do to me really.” Lance answers flippantly. “Then I'll have more time to figure it out.”

“Wouldn't your family want you home then?” Hunk questions sitting back and letting Lance's arm sit on his shoulder.

“I'll tell them I got expelled but something came up. They'll be angry but fined with it.” Lance shrugs off as he sips on his drink. “You guys need to have more faith in me. I got this.”

****

Lance comes out of the bathroom wearing a dark black shirt and jeans. Hunk looks up from his books and frowns concern. Lance puts his supplies into a bag and slings it over his shoulder. He puts his cellphone into his back pocket and puts on his dark shoes.

“You're really doing this.” Hunk states watching Lance go through his checks.

“Yup. I'll be back before daylight.” Lance answers patting down his bag with a nod. “See ya!” Lance sneaks out of his room quietly. Knowing nightly patrols is definitely a benefit. Lance glances around the corner before running to the other side. He hides against the shadow of the vending machine as a soldier passes him. He smirks as he goes toward the hanger. He slides up against the wall as the door opens and Iverson walks out. Lance glares at him and slips inside as the door slides shut behind him. He keeps to the shadows as he locates the vehicle of choice. In the back corner there's a white and orange hover bike. Lance makes sure to keep his face away from all the cameras. He finds the key locker and picks the lock to grab the correct key. Lance smirks as he puts the keys into his pocket. He unlocks the side door, takes the bike out, and closes it behind him. Putting the keys into the ignition, Lance turns it and flies out of the Garrison's parking lot. “Haha, this is fucking amazing!” Lance guns it through the rocks and hills away from the Garrison. Lance drives a mile away before jumping off, wiping off his fingerprints, and leaving the bike there. He makes his way to a cave and goes inside finding the ride he managed to persuade someone to leave there for him. Lance jumps onto the ride and pulls goggles down over his eyes. He zips through the dessert landscape heading towards the mapped out point. His eyes moving through the darkness for any danger. Lance comes upon a shack in the middle of the dessert and blinks in confusion as he gets off his ride. He walks up to it cautiously as he looks inside and almost flips the person that puts their hands on his shoulder over.

“Woah! It's just me, McClain.” Keith exclaims out in surprise. “You are twitchy.” Lance gives him a frown and physically tries to relax his shoulders.

“You shouldn't come up from behind me like that.” Lance states plainly as he shakes Keith's hand off his shoulder. “What are you doing out here?”

“This is my shack. Come on in. I found somethings but haven't brought it to Pidge or Hunk's attention.” Keith states as he goes inside. Lance follows him still confused.

“How the hell do you have a shack out in the middle of the dessert?” Lance questions as he comes inside staring at the wall with the map. It was a collection of their research all together on the wall. 

“It was empty and I took it over before arriving at the Garrison.” Keith replies as he turns up the volume on the machines in the corner. Keith shows him some pictures. Lance frowns at the images. “I found it in one of the caves near the source.”

“It looks like a lion. What the hell?” Lance puts the images down and leans back. “Were you going to tell me about this?”

“You never asked.” Keith states as he puts the images on the wall. Lance raises one of his eyebrows with a straight face.

“How would I have even known to ask you? Oh by the way was there anything else you'd like to tell me.” Lance states sarcastically as he plops down on Keith's futon couch. “Why did you sneak out too?”

“Did you really think I'd let you do it by yourself?” Keith states smirking. “I've been looking for this thing emitting the energy for a while now.” Lance looks down at his cellphone.

“Well, we have about six hours until sun rise. Where have you searched?” Lance inquires while looking at the map from his spot. Keith goes through everything he's found. “Cave paintings? Why cave paintings?”

“I dunno. All I know is that these three caves have ancient markings and a blue lion.” Keith replies as he frowns at the images. Lance stands up abruptly. Keith looks at him.

“Take me to one. Let's see if we can figure out more. Then we should head back to the Garrison.” Lance says while walking towards the door. Keith shakes his head and follows him out. The two get on their vehicles as Keith leads the way to the closet cave with the paintings. When Lance actually gets to see the markings himself, he frowns at the symbols. Keith is further ahead of him with a flashlight. These are familiar. Not as familiar as the language being spoken on Alien Radio but... he has seen it before long ago. A distant memory underneath all of his other recent memories. Lance takes out his tablet and captures some of the markings into his device. He stares at the marking of the blue lion until Keith comes back.

“We should go.” Keith murmurs as he walks past Lance. Lance blinks and takes one photo of the blue lion before following after Keith. 

****

The two return to where Lance left the other hover bike and take it back to the Garrison. The two sneak back inside without any complications. Lance puts his bag down quietly, freezing when Hunk turns to face him with sleepy eyes. 

“You're back?” Hunk questions sleepily. Lance smiles gently watching him struggle to wake up more.

“Go back to sleep, Hunk. We can talk in the morning.” Lance whispers and sees Hunk nod his head, falling back asleep. Lance grabs a towel and goes into the bathroom. He glances up at the mirror and his reflection. It always surprises him how similar he looks to the humans on Earth. If one was to judge how alien he looks there would be no competition. If one was to actually do chemical and biological tests, ah well.... Lance sighs and turns on the shower. Stepping in under the cold water, Lance lets the water flow over him as his tense shoulders relax. There’s too much information in the radio chatter and the markings for Lance to overlook. To pretend he didn’t know what they meant. So the aliens were searching the universe for a weapon known as Voltron. What this Voltron entails well Lance isn’t one hundred percent sure but he is willing to bet his alien blood that the markings will tell him more. Now how far is he willing to go? Lance leans his head against the shower wall thinking. Is he willing to let everything he’s worked for go? But if he doesn’t then there’s a chance that the universe he’s in will be destroyed and those he cares for will be killed. Hell…he has to worry about two fronts if the Garrison finds out of his alien background. Lance sighs and shuts the water off. His navy blue eyes glowing lightly. He feels his energy coursing nervously through his veins. He stomps it out before it can cause him pain which would make Hunk worried in turn could alert the wrong people about his alien-ness. 

Lance gets dried and dressed before leaving the bathroom. Hunk is still sleeping peacefully. What Lance would do if his worries only involved passing the next simulation or what to eat in the morning? Lance chuckles weakly. Why is he so hard-wired into fighting aliens who want to take over the damned universe? He sits down on his bed and sighs. Will the warrior in him ever leave him? By some higher power, could he just live peacefully with his adopted family? 

He leans back against the wall and pulls out his tablet looking at the markings. Maybe he could help these friends of his a little. Give them a hint on the language decoder that Pidge was working on with Hunk’s help. Vaorianese isn’t used in this universe…or it’s been a dead language for millenniums. But the Galran language well, Lance isn’t fluent in it but he’s good enough. There’s probably subtle differences between his own universe’s Galran and this one’s. He spends the rest of the night working out certain words that could easily pass without too much suspicion on how he cracked it. Hunk finds him “deciphering” the radio chatter when he wakes up. Hunk’s surprised to find Lance’s focus to be entirely on his tablet. He watches as Lance looks up and blinks sleepily. 

“Oh morning, big guy.” Lance states softly as he rubs his tired eyes with the back of his hand. “You sleep well?”

“I could be asking you that. Did you sleep at all?” Hunk questions in concern as he sits on the edge of Lance’s bed. “Do you need me to tell the staff that you aren’t feeling well?”

“It’s fine. I actually plan on going to classes today.” Lance states as he finishes up his current section. “Are we having one of those meetings tonight?”

“We are, though I think we should reschedule it. You look like you need to sleep.” Hunk points out, taking in Lance’s dark shadows underneath his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Lance answers as he puts his tablet down. “I could fly a ship right now without any problems.” 

“Dude, seriously. I think you’re going to fall over.” Hunk says sternly with a hard look in his eyes. Lance freezes to study Hunk whose sitting there worried. 

“I’ll take a nap during lunch and after dinner.” Lance states as a compromise. Hunk frowns in disapproval. “Dude, it’s that or nothing.” Hunk throws his hands into the air and walks off to get ready for the day. Lance sighs, dragging a hand down his face. God, how many lies and half-truths is he going to tell everyone here? He wants to tell Hunk at least, but what if Hunk stops talking to him? What if he tells the Garrison that he’s an alien? Lance knows that Hunk wouldn’t do that but…the what if is killing him. Lance laughs slightly hysterical. He’s so messed up. Hopefully, the day doesn’t go downhill from here.

****

Oh boy! Did he jinx himself? He probably did knowing his own luck. Lance is standing in the middle of the hall with Hunk and Pidge next to him. It was a bit after dinner and the ‘Duchess’ Fraser is standing across from them with their little group of bullies.

“Hey guys, look its McClain and his group of nerds.” Fraser sneers smirking. Lance puts an arm out in front of Pidge as they step forward.

“You little fuckers! Back off.” Pidge hisses, eyes a blazed. 

“Let it go Pidge. Fraser is always picking fights.” Lance points out calmly glaring at Fraser.

“I can’t believe you’re letting the little firecracker defend you.” Fraser states haughtily while looking at his friends laughing. 

“Pidge can rip you to shred with their words, Fraser.” Lance replies as Hunk glares at them.

“You talk big McClain. But which one of us carries a baton around like a cheer girl?” Fraser states while pulling out Lance’s black slick stick. Hunk and Pidge frown at the object. Lance fists his hands and growls threateningly.

“Give it back Fraser.” Lance hisses with his anger tightly coiled in his stomach. Fraser smiles sweetly, twirling the stick.

“Can you boys believe it? The bully defender owns a cheer stick.” Fraser states smug as the other boys laugh mockingly.

“Fraser, give it back.” Lance states calmly as his fists make a cracking pop sound. Hunk and Pidge look at Lance with concern. They continue to laugh. Lance frowns as his entire body tenses like a lion ready to pounce their prey. “I asked nicely Fraser. This is your last chance. Give it back.”

“Or you'd do what exactly? Talk me down?” Fraser taunts grinning as his friends chuckle. “Hit me with your girly baton?” Fraser gets into Lance's face mocking him with a sneer. 

“Lance, let it go.” Hunk states with trepidation. Fraser laughs stepping back slightly, still in arms reach. Hunk and Pidge gasp in shock as Lance lurches forward while grasping Fraser's hand holding the black stick. Lance's eyes glows neon blue against the fluorescent lights. Fraser tries to pull back without being able to budge. “Lance!”

“I gave you a chance, Fraser.” Lance whispers calmly, deadly. As he tightens his grip on Fraser's hand. He faintly hears Pidge and Hunk calling his name as he stares into Fraser's eyes with a cold brutality. The sound of cracking and a breathless gasp is all Lance really comprehends as he takes his stick back as Fraser falls to his knees holding his hand to his chest. There's a silence that looms over the hall. Lance blinks and the glowing disappears as he realizes what he had just done. Lance steps back alarmed, shaking. Hunk and Pidge are staring at the scene in shock. 

“Lance?” Hunk questions hesitantly. Lance stares at Fraser cradling his hand to his chest. He turns on his heels breathing heavily as he starts to walk away. Hunk grabs his wrist worried. “Where are you going?”

“Back to my room to write my eight page report on why I just shattered a cadet's hand.” Lance states coldly, yanking his wrist away from Hunk. Pidge grabs Lance before he can leave.

“What happened? Why is this stick so important?” Pidge questions with their eyes scrunched up in concern.

“It's all I have left of my sister.” Lance hisses pulling away and leaving the area, fuming. The energy under his skin vibrating angrily. His grip on the black stick tightens as tears welled up in the corner of his tired navy eyes. He enters his room and takes a deep breath. He didn't use it that much but he can feel the backlash coming. He goes to the bathroom and locks the door, back against the door as he slides down with his arms wrapped around himself, gasping for breath. He hasn't had a bad one in years, even when the intruders attacked his family home, it wasn't this bad. Lance groans as the pain spikes through his entire body. He could use it, but he should be able to handle this one. He hasn't fainted so that should be a bonus. He moves towards the toilet and vomits into the bowl. Lance spits out the blood in his mouth and sags against the toilet letting the cold porcelain to soothe his growing headache. “I feel like shit. Urgh...” Lance curls into himself as pain continues to spasm through his body. There's a hurried knock on the bathroom door.

“Lance? You okay?” Hunk's concerned voice filters through the door. Lance retches into the toilet again, groaning. “Lance?”

“I'm fine.” Lance groans out loud enough for Hunk to hear. Couldn't Hunk have come back a bit later? Lance sighs as his body spasms. He stands up shakily, flushing the purplish red blood down the drain. Turning on the sink and gurgling the vomit out of his mouth before splashing himself with the cold water. He looks at his reflection and it's paler than usual. His hands are still shaking as he grips the edge of the sink. Lance turns the water off and stands up as straight as he can. He unlocks the door and get's pulled into a tight hug. He groans from pain making Hunk's arm loosen a bit. “Hunk?” Hunk puts him down and Lance notices Pidge sitting on Hunk's bed.

“You said that your sister was going to medical school?” Hunk states softly worried as he leads Lance to his bed. Lance plops on it tired and nods.

“She is. I meant my other sister.” Lance whispers trailing off quietly. Pidge and Hunk both had to strain their ears to hear him. Pidge and Hunk share a worried glance.

“You never mentioned having another sister.” Hunk points out mouth in a thin line. Lance pulls his tablet to him as he gets started on his paper. The spasms are less noticeable and fading slowly.

“I don't like talking about her.” Lance whispers as he types up his report on the incident. His tired eyes blink rapidly at the words that are blurring together.

“Can I ask why?” Pidge questions softly worried that they'd tip Lance towards anger. Lance gives a sad sigh and smile.

“I don't know if she's alive or dead. Missing would be the term.” Lance answers softly as he finishes the first two hundred words.

“She gave you the baton?” Pidge inquires as they lean back against the wall. Lance nods as he continues through the report. “You broke Fraser's hand. How?”

“I dunno? I was really angry. Can I just finish my report before they call me?” Lance questions still typing. Hunk and Pidge nods and start speaking to each other about the progress on the alien language translator. Lance looks up at it and pulls out the printed sheets and hands it to them.

“What's this?” Hunk questions as he takes it. “Oh is this what you were working on this morning?”

“Yup. I think it might help with the translator. Anyway, I'll go back to my report.” Lance states as his eyes return to his tablet. Pidge and Hunk devours the papers with curiosity and Lance has a small fond smile on his lips as he works. Two hours into their work, Lance finishes his eight page report and sighs softly as he goes to print it out. He quietly makes his way out of the room and towards the instructors lounge. He walks up to Iverson and hands him the eight page report.

“Cadet McClain, what is this?” Iverson questions sternly with his legs crossed. Lance takes a deep breath.

“I believe you will be getting a call from the infirmary on the status of a cadet that has his hand broken. I'm handing my report on the incident that landed said cadet in the infirmary, Sir.” Lance deadpans looking straight ahead. Iverson frowns as he scans the report. His expression morphs from stern to mild surprise to a quick flash of sardonic amusement back to stern.

“You managed to break a cadet's hand with your hand? You have a strong grip, Cadet. However, you did assault a fellow cadet even though he probably started it. He has a track record. You have a track record as well. Though more instructors seem to like you better.” Iverson states as he pulls up Lance's file. “You'll have to do some disciplinary actions. I expect you to show up to the drill sergeant at five hundred hours tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir.” Lance answers steady. Iverson dismisses Lance with a wave of his hand. Lance turns on his heels and leaves. He heads back to his room quietly, tiredly. He enters the room and see Hunk and Pidge still working on their machine. He plops on his bed and curls into a ball exhausted. He sets an alarm for five o'clock and closes his eyes. He listens to them whisper and the papers being moved about. He falls asleep to them working on the bed next to him.


	10. Meteor Falls

Waking at five hundred hours sucks, Lance decides while groaning awake. Well technically, it’s four thirty, but who’s keeping track? Not the sun nor the stars. Lance sits up with a blinding headache. He glances to the other bed to see Hunk asleep with some papers lying around him. Lance stands up and almost falls over. The pain from the night before throbs lightly. He’s gripping the edge of the bed tightly. Oh discipline is going to be so much fun with a throbbing headache and aching muscles. It'll be like the second day of warrior training. That was torture on its own. Lance walks with silent steps to the bathroom to prepare for his meeting with the drill sergeant. Now that he has had time to think about what happened, he probably could have handled it differently. No excuse for the way he acted and treated Fraser even if it involved something more personal. The soldier in him could have handled it with more care and without harming Fraser; or harm him even more than his hand, like mauled him apart. Lance doesn't try to figure it out because he needs to be out of his room. When he arrives, the drill sergeant is waiting for him. Lance gives a salute. Sergeant sends him to do a few laps around the Garrison Building. His sore muscles throb and pull tightly as he runs around the perimeter. He's barely out of breath. The sergeant is yelling at him. Vaorianese words overlaps the sergeant's voice as he continues to run.

_“Warrior! Run quicker! The Galra's will shoot you. Duck!”_

_“Enough! Stop being useless, warrior! You are Vaoria's defense. Move faster! Dodge quicker. Predict what the enemy will do. Always be six moves ahead.”_

Lance shakes his aching head. Flashes of images float in front of his eyes. Images of dense green forests, large expanses of water, high cliffs, swimming between rocks, running through the mud. Then nothing but orange dry deserts going on and on for miles. Lance frowns at the images in his head as he runs his laps. He hasn't seen those sights in so long, it's difficult to remember the beauty of it. By the time he finishes his run and the Sergeant dismisses him, it is nearly breakfast time. Lance returns to his room to find Hunk hunched over his desk with a pair of headphones on. He seems to be writing something down. Lance goes to freshen up in the bathroom. He comes out to Hunk grinning widely at him.

“Morning? What got you smiling?” Lance questions as he pops his shoulders. 

“Pidge and I managed to crack more of the radio chatter. We're planning on meeting tonight. You in?” Hunk questions still smiling.

“Of course I am. When wouldn't I be? Does Kogane know?” Lance inquires while grabbing his stuff for the day. 

“Not yet, but Pidge is going to tell him in class.” Hunk answers, “By the way, how was....you know.”

“It wasn't bad. I'm going to feel sore later though.” Lance replies as the two head out to breakfast.

****

Lance and Hunk are in their room grabbing supplies for the night outing. Lance opens his drawer and pulls out his leg strap for his slick black stick and attaches the quiver to the side. His cell phone in his jacket pocket along side with the unused syringe. He puts on his green jacket and turns to see Hunk all ready to go with his pouches and the Voltron Geiger counter that he made. The two sneak out to the rooftop meeting up with Keith and Pidge. They're looking at the screens frowning and whispering about the information. Lance and Hunk share a glance before kneeling down next to them.

“What's going on?” Hunk asks as he looks at the screen confused. Pidge blinks sitting back, staring at the screens.

“The alien radio is going crazier than I have ever heard it.” Pidge answers as Lance picks up the headphones and listens to it. The radio is filled with a chant of Voltron and he can't seem to make out more than a whisper of something else underneath it. Lance takes the headphones off and bites his lower lip.

“It's beyond crazy, Pidge. That is ballistic.” Lance states before jerking at the alarms blaring. They all share a glance, listening.

“Attention, students. This is not a drill. We are on lockdown! Security situation Zulu Niner. Repeat: all students are to remain in barracks until further notice.”

“Well, shit. What the hell is going on?” Hunk questions as the sky begins to light up. “Is that a meteor? A very, very big meteor?” Pidge grabs their binoculars and takes a look.

“It's a ship.” Pidge states calmly before Keith takes it from them. He looks at it with a dark frown.

“It's not ours. It must be theirs.” Keith breaths out before looking at the others. Pidge smirks excited and packs up their stuff quickly. 

“Come on! We got to see this.” Pidge exclaims as they try to head towards the impact location. Lance grabs the handle on their backpack. “What the hell Lance?”

“Hold up, Pidge. This is an alien ship that crashed landed on Earth. Not to mention, walking there is going to take a while.” Lance points out calmly. “Kogane, you got your hover bike nearby?”

“Yes. I suggest we take yours too. I could fit all of us on it but that's pushing it.” Keith answers pulling out his keys.

“We're actually doing this?” Hunk questions looking at all of them. They all nod simultaneously. Hunk sighs as he follows them to the location of their hover bikes. Keith and Lance situate themselves as Pidge and Hunk get on the back of each of the hover bikes respectively. “I can't believe we're actually doing this. I thought we'd just stick to theories and study.”

“Sorry, buddy. I don't think it works like that usually.” Lance answers smiling gently. “If you want to know more, it takes actually doing it to learn.” They drive themselves out towards the location through rocky terrains and park. They crawl up to the cliff side to look at the site. Keith takes Pidge's binoculars and looks at the scene. Lance is leaning against the rock looking down at the scene, but still hidden in the shadows.

“There's quite a few guards to get past if we want a closer look.” Keith states looking at the number of vehicles in the area. Pidge pulls out their computer and starts to hack. Hunk is looking over their shoulder.

“How many is a few, Kogane?” Lance questions with his arms crossed. “If you say less than four, I'm jumping down this cliff side and attacking.” Keith levels Lance with a glare.

“It's more than four, McClain. Like a small squad at the least.” Keith states in return. Pidge gives a triumphant laugh.

“Let's see what you know. They have a camera and I hacked its feed. Look!” Pidge points out in surprise. They hear Shirogane asking what they're doing and Iverson telling him to calm down so they can run some tests.

“It's Shiro!” Keith exclaims throwing the binoculars down. Lance grabs him trying to make him wait. “Let go McClain!”

“How do you plan on getting him out with a squad of guards down there? I know what Shirogane means to you, but do not run in there without a plan. I know that you know this.” Lance states with a hard glint in his eyes. 

“Where's the rest of the crew?” Pidge questions ignoring the outburst still listening to the feed. “Guys! Shiro just mentioned Voltron!”

“I'm getting Shiro out, McClain!” Keith states angrily. Lance grumbles under his breath; god Kogane is a stubborn motherfucker.

“We have to get him out.” Pidge states looking at Keith and Lance, more at Lance.

“Uh, I hate to be the voice of reason here, always, but weren't we watching on screen because there was no way to get past the guards?” Hunk points out looking at them worried.

“I never said we couldn't get past them. I never implied that we wouldn't get him. We need answers and Shirogane has them.” Lance points out. “Look, we need a plan....No... maybe not.” Lance looks at them smirking. Hunk licks his lips nervous at Lance's expression. “What we need is a distraction.”

“And where are we going to get a distraction?” Pidge questions as they put their backpack on. Lance turns and looks at the scene.

“Let me worry about the distraction. Kogane, you, Pidge, and Hunk go and get Shirogane once I create the distraction. I'll meet you guys at the shack.” Lance states calmly as he pulls out his keys. 

“Lance you can't be serious.” Hunk exclaims worried. “How are you going to create a distraction big enough?” 

“No worries, just get Shirogane.” Lance states as he hops onto his hover bike. Keith frowns but gets on his own bike. Pidge and Hunk get on the back. Lance gives them a nod before flying down towards the scene. Lance pulls his white hoodie up to cover his face and takes out his black stick and extends it to a quarterstaff. He parks a bit away and sneaks into the camp. His quarterstaff at ready as a guard walks past him. He grabs the guard and gives him a good wack to the head. Lance hides the body behind some vehicles and continues forward. He manages to get a few more guards knocked out before a guard raises the alarm. 

“There's an attacker!” A guard yells, the entire camp runs at him trying to knock him out. Lance smirks under his hoodie as he swings his quarterstaff knocking a few out. His eyes glows from underneath the hood making Iverson pull out a gun.

“Capture him! I want him alive!” Iverson shoots at him, but he brings up his quarterstaff to block it quickly. His warrior reflexes kicking in. Lance takes in the amount of guards and licks his lips before turning sharply on his heels and running towards his parked hover bike. He jumps on and steps on the gas as the personal follow him into the horizon. 

****

Keith, Pidge, and Hunk wait patiently nearby when they hear the shouts and yells. Hunk shares a concern look with Pidge as the sound of vehicles become fainter and fainter.

“Let's go.” Keith whispers as he goes inside the main temporary building. He pulls up a bandanna and his dagger. 

“These readings are off the chart.” One of the men says as the other works on running tests. They hear the door open.

“Hey! You can't be in here.” Keith knocks them both out quickly making his way over to Shiro.

“Shiro?” Keith whispers as he looks at what they've been doing. Hunk and Pidge start removing the restraints. 

“We should go.” Pidge states calmly as they can. The three of them get Shiro to the hover bike.

“Let's get out of here.” Hunk states holding onto Shiro's unconscious body. Keith nods and fires up his bike and starts to get them towards the shack. “I hope Lance is okay.”

“He said he'll see us at the shack.” Pidge points out hesitantly. Keith drives at a decent pace as Pidge and Hunk talk about how the night has played out. As the shack comes into view, Hunk looks for Lance's hover bike concerned. “Do you see anything, Hunk?”

“No, just the shack.” Hunk whispers with his head bowed in disbelief. 

“McClain will be here.” Keith states calmly. “Otherwise, I believe he got caught by the Garrison.” When they park the hover bike, Keith and Hunk get Shiro inside and on the couch to sleep off the rest. Pidge stands on the porch looking out at the horizon, searching for any sign of Lance's hover bike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got art from Izaria! OMG, I am so happy! Check it out guys! The last one was based on a conversation we had.
> 
> http://tickedoffshortie.tumblr.com/post/149444231567/so-im-having-im-not-the-lance-you-think-i-am
> 
> http://tickedoffshortie.tumblr.com/post/149076323107/so-this-is-an-attempt-drawing-of-lance-for


	11. Wormholes lead to Unknown Places

Lance drives the hover bike over the edge leaving the Garrison vehicles behind him. He glances back briefly as he drives towards the shack. His body aches. He's out of shape if his body aches like this. Good thing he didn't push himself too much for a backlash to happen. Though... he's out of practice. He's going to need to focus on it again. Living on earth has made him lax in that regard. Lance comes up to the shack and is relieved to see Keith's bike. Pidge and Hunk come over to greet him as he parks his bike. 

“You actually made it.” Pidge says with a small nervous smile. 

“Of course I did. You guys need to have more faith in me.” Lance replies smirking, getting off his bike. “So has Shirogane woken up yet?”

“No, but we expect he will soon. Hopefully, we can get some answers.” Pidge states with a relieved smile. Hunk pulls Lance into a tight hug.

“Don’t do that again, Lance.” He whispers into Lance’s ear quietly. Lance nods with a small smile. He glances down at Pidge who gives him a nervous smile.

“The sedative must have been pretty strong if he's still knocked out.” Pidge points out while shuffling their feet. 

“Have you guys seen the inside of the shack? Kogane and I have been putting our notes on the wall.” Lance states as he walks towards the shack. Pidge lights up as they meet up with Lance's stride. Walking inside, Keith greets Lance with a nod. Pidge and Hunk run over to the wall to study the notes as Lance strolls over to where Shirogane is still unconsciousness. “He's not waking up?”

“He's shown signs of movement but nothing.” Keith replies, crossing his arms impatiently. Lance sighs and leans against the wall.

“We should talk about the research we found. Maybe with Hunk and Pidge's brains, we can figure something out until he wakes up.” Lance points out. Keith glances up at the wall with all of their notes and photos.

“Let's the two of them study. I'm perfectly content with waiting for Shiro to wake up.” Keith replies, returning his focus on the sleeping man. Lance nods and walks next to Hunk and Pidge.

“Notice anything we didn't?” Lance inquires as the two fuss over the information. The two shakes their heads.

“Going to need a bit more time.” Pidge states as they take a picture off the wall studying it closely. Lance pats Hunk on the shoulder, before walking back outside and climbs to the roof. He sits cross-legged, with his hands on his knees, and closes his eyes. Lance lets the desert wind blow around him as he takes deep steady breaths. He lets the earth's energy wraps itself around him. The presences of the four beneath him and the wildlife around him. He feels how the fabric of his cloth sits on his body. The sound of Hunk and Pidge eagerly speaking and conversing below. He hears Keith pacing back and forth near Shirogane. He hears the beginnings of Shirogane stirring awake, before Keith's excited greeting brings Hunk and Pidge over to see Shirogane. Lance stays relaxing on the roof and breathes, letting his mind enter a meditative state. Lance feels Shirogane leave the shack after a few minutes of consciousness. Lance opens his eyes as he tracks Shirogane to the small hill to take in the view of sunrise. The metal of his new arm glints and shines. Keith walks over to Shirogane and Lance sees their mouths moving. Lance jumps down from the roof, startling Hunk and Pidge. 

“Lance! What the hell?” Pidge questions alarmed.

“Figure anything else out?” Lance states as he walks inside to stare absently at the wall of information. There was something they were missing from all of the gathered information. Keith and him have scoured quite a bit of the land already.

“We might have. Just have to wait for Shirogane and Keith to get back in here.” Pidge says calmly while pulling out some of their notes. Shirogane and Keith reenter the shack.

“What have you guys been working on?” Shirogane exclaims studying the wall.

“We don't really know what exactly, but we gathered something was out here. It felt like some energy was telling me to search, and then these three figured something out through the alien radio chatter.” Keith supplies pointing at the walls.

“Search for what?” Shirogane questions calmly. 

“Well that's the thing, we didn't realize it at first but this area has an outcropping of giant boulders with caves covered in ancient markings. Each tells of a slightly different story about a blue lion, but it leads to a clue about what happened last night, which also corresponded with the intensity of the alien radio. Which lead to you showing up.” Keith replies with his arms crossed. 

“I suppose I should thank you all for getting me out. You're Lance, right?” Shirogane says, giving Lance a nod in thanks.

“This big guy is Hunk. I'm Pidge. So, did anyone else from your crew make it out?”

“I'm not sure, all I can remember is the mission and being captured. Everything else is fragmented.” Shirogane replies crossing his arms. 

“Should we be worried about the aliens? Where are they located? Are they close by?” Hunk questions from his spot on the couch. 

“I don't know, all I can remember was them talking about “Voltron.” It's a type of weapon that they're looking for, but I don't know why. Whatever it is, we have to find it before they do.”

“You guys remember when I figured out the Fraunhofer line?” Hunk questions and sees three heads nod, “Well, I finished the device that can track it.” Lance smiles, giving Hunk a thumbs up.

“You are amazing, Hunk. Let's see if we can find it.” Lance says while tugging at Hunk's arm. Shirogane watches them amused. “I mean guys, we've already done this much might as well go through with it.”

****

The group walk through the dessert outcroppings as the sun begins its ascent into the sky. Hunk has his geiger counter out as it searches for the wavelength. The machine has a constant beeping. As they come over another hill, the geiger counter's beeping intensifies. 

“Oh, this way.” Hunk blurts out as he walks towards an opening in the wall. The group enters a tunnel and see quite a few cave markings. 

“Whoa!” Hunk and Pidge exclaims, taking in the markings for the first time in person. Shirogane glances at them curiously. 

“What are these?” Shirogane questions as he takes a closer look at some of the markings. Lance walks further ahead, occasionally glancing at the images.

“These are lion markings we were telling you about. They're literally everywhere around these parts.” Keith replies as they walk further into the cave. Lance extends a hand towards the markings touching it briefly as the markings begin to light up. Lance takes a step back in surprise. 

“What the...” Lance whispers out as the ground begins to shake. He glances up at the group's ranging expressions, “well, shit.” The earth falls out from underneath them, dropping them on an earthen slide deeper down. Screaming is heard all the way down. Lance rolls forward to brace his fall. The sound of the others landing in the water echo behind him. Wiping the water from his face, Lance's eyes take in the vast cavern holding a giant lion inside a force field.

“Is this it? Is this the Voltron?” Pidge exclaims while wiping their glasses dry.

“It has to be.” Shirogane replies, getting up and walking towards it.

“There's even a force field around it.” Keith points out as they get closer. Lance keeps to the back staring at the lion's yellow eyes. He licks his lips as he has an intense eye staring contest with the lion.

“Question, do you guys feel that the big lion is staring at you?” Lance inquires still staring at it.

“Um, no.” Shirogane replies absently. Standing next to the force field, Lance takes in how big the lion actually is. Lance can still feel the intensity of the lion's stare.

“So, how do we get past this field?” Keith questions, tapping the force field with his fingers. Lance glances at the force field curiously before knocking it with his knuckles. The force field dissolves underneath his hand. Images of four other lions coming together to form a giant machine fills their heads. 

“Holy...” Hunk exclaims in awe, “Voltron is a robot, a huge giant robot.”

“And, this is only a part of it. I wonder where the others are.” Pidge remarks, pushing their glasses up on their nose. 

“This is what the aliens are looking for.” Shirogane whispers, eyes wide. “This is...”

“Incredible.” Keith finishes softly. The lion begins to move making the group scream. Lance stares at the lion unflinchingly. The lion bows down and opens it's mouth. Lance startles at the silent invitation before eagerly running inside. Lance smiles as he sits down on the chair. The chair moves forward as the controls begin lighting up. He hears the others get into the cockpit behind him. Lance glances at the controls; they were similar to the ones he used to pilot before he landed on Earth. Lance hears the Lion purr into his head telling and showing him a visual of the alien ship approaching Earth's atmosphere. Making a quick decision, Lance pops his knuckles before putting his hands on the controls, grinning.

“Lance? What are you....” Hunk blurts out as Lance pushes the controls forward and stepping on the pedal. The group screams as the gravitational force pushes against them.

“McClain!” Keith yells, “Do you know what the hell you're doing?”

“Totally. The lion told me that there's an alien ship just outside of Earth's atmosphere. We can't let them harm Earth.” Lance says calmly as he shoots into space. Lance takes in the image on the screen. Shirogane frowns looking at the ship.

“They must have followed me here.” Shirogane states while his metal hand grips the back of the chair.

“Oh my gawd, those are actual aliens.” Hunk exclaims holding onto the side of the chair. Lance leans back and glances up at Shirogane.

“You're the highest ranking member right now. I think we have a few choices. The lion wants to take us somewhere and can open a portal to the location? We could damage the ship and head towards the location or we could try to fight these guys with the lion and take our chances.” Lance points out calmly. “Whatever the decision, we have to stick with it.” Lance glances back at the screens. The alien ship is starting to advance on them.

“Could we outmaneuver them?” Shirogane questions, looking at Lance. Lance frowns slightly, biting the bottom of his lip.

“I can make it happen, I think.” Lance puts his hands back on the controls and begins to dodge the alien ship. The group grips onto the back of the seat tightly.

“We can't keep dodging and we can't stay here unless we want to harm Earth.” Pidge points out as the dodging gets tougher. Lance grunts but stays concentrated on the screens. He allows the lion to help and they end up at a different location.

“What just happened? Where are we?” Keith questions staring at the strange space outstretched in front of them.

“Edge of the solar system. There's Kereberos.” Shirogane points out.

“That's not possible. It takes months to get out here with our ships. That took literally five seconds.” Pidge exclaims, eyes wide. They all stare at the wormhole that opens up.

“Are we going through there?” Hunk inquires, pointing at the opening.

“The lion knows more than we do. I say we trust it, but we're a team now. This should be a group decision.” Shirogane states calmly, glancing at the other members. Lance pushes the controls forward once he doesn't hear any objections. When they exit the wormhole, the team takes in the space and the constellations. Lance frowns at the stars, they seem sort of familiar. Lance pats his pocket with his right hand and feels his cellphone. If he could take a look at his star map, maybe he'd be able to tell where they are.

“I don't know any of these constellations. We must be a long ways from Earth.” Shirogane says still staring at the stars.

“I think the lion wants to go to that planet there.” Lance points out while moving the controls to head towards the planet.”

“I can't believe we're actually in space, but where is that exactly?” Pidge questions as they watch Hunk shiver with nerves. Lance shakes his head.

“Lion isn't talking anymore.” Lance replies glancing down at the alien language on the screens. Weirdly enough, Lance can make out the alien language as Altean. They were pretty advance back in his home universe and a sister planet with amicable relations with his own planet Vaoria. The lion purrs in his mind with images of what Altea looked like. Lance smiles softly as they head closer to the planet. He lets his mind conjure up images of blue oceans, large green forests, and vast cave systems to show the Lion. The lion purrs amused. Lance quietly asks the lion to not say anything about his past to the others. He wants to tell them personally when he's ready. The lion purrs in acknowledgment before landing on the planet and letting them all out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I am sorry for not updating much more frequently and I appreciate the constant support. This last quarter has been brutal and I have had absolutely no time to write! 
> 
> For those who are curious on which stories are in progress and their statuses, here's a list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cs43FWF-OBUYNWL6E85eZ71v0XzjlTATKe7EEmXvZcQ/edit?usp=sharing
> 
> Also, if you ever make fanart or fiction I would love to see them. :D


	12. To the Other Lions

As the lion lands on the planet, Lance keeps an eye on the radar for any disturbances, because he knows the Galra aren't the type to give up so easily. The team disembarks from the lion staring at the castle with curiosity and awe. Shirogane takes the lead as the team heads inside. Lance stays behind quietly, watching them walk off unaware. The lion nudges Lance inquisitively.

“You ever wonder if the universe is bigger than what the eyes can see?” Lance inquires as the team disappear through the huge doors. The lion raises its head and takes a moment to think about the question. Images of vast endless darkness enters Lance's mind as the lion motions towards the castle. Images of the entire team pop up. “I got it. I'll get going. Don't mind me.” Lance walks up the steps into the castle. The castle computer scans him causing a silent alarm to be sent to an unknown computer somewhere in the castle. Lance catches up with the rest of the team as they walk into the command room, none the wiser to his little conversation with the lion. Lance runs a hand along the wall as he heads towards the others. An energy flows through the walls, humming, telling an ancient story that cannot be heard by the naked ear. Lance feels the energy at the tip of his fingers. Lance moves to catch up with the others as they walk past the threshold into the control room of the castle. He glances around the room as they all walk inside with some awe. 

“It's...some kind of control room.” Pidge exclaims as they walk closer inside. Lance hangs near the consoles and glances at the different buttons. Suddenly, the ground opens and two pods come flying up showing a young woman and an older man. The team gasps as Keith and Shirogane gets closer to the pods to examine the people inside. 

“Are these guys...dead?” Hunk whispers in concern as he nervously twists his fingers. Lance looks at Hunk carefully. This is a lot to take in and Hunk wasn't completely inclined to leaving earth. Lance frowns while Hunk stays closer to the back behind everyone else. In fact, he literally hiding behind the console and as close to Lance as he could get. Lance sighs under his breath, before a loud hiss and the pod ejects its occupant, pulling his attention back to where Keith was standing. The young woman falls forward into Keith's frozen arms with his wide eyes. Lance laughs quietly into his hand.

“Father!” She gasps out with her arm reaching out. Lance blinks as the Altean language hits his ears, turning his eyes down to the console's buttons. So it was Altean script and Lance wasn't going crazy. It's been awhile since he read those symbols. 

“Uh...” Keith mutters, alarmed before quickly giving Shirogane a “help me” look. Shirogane moves to help when she pushes herself away from Keith quickly.

“Who are you? Where am I?” She demands as she takes in the team standing before her. Her blue eyes scrutinizes them cautiously. Her stance is wide and balanced like a cobra ready to strike. Keith remains silent as he moves unconsciously back towards the team. 

“I'm Shiro.” Shirogane states raising his hands in a sign of peace. She lurches away as if she was physically slapped. 

“What? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?” She gives them all a hard glare.

“The giant blue lion brought us here. That's all we know,” Lance replies calmly, staring straight into her eyes with his right arm at his side near his black stick.

“How do you have the Blue Lion? What happened to its Paladin? What are you all doing here? Unless...no how long has it been?” she exclaims before seeing Lance with his left hand on the console. 

“We don't know what you're talking about. Why don't you tell us who you are? Maybe we can help,” Shirogane advises with his hand gestures.

“I am Princess Allura of Planet Altea. I've got to find out where we are and how long we've been asleep,” she pushes Lance aside as she quickly pulls up holograms. Pidge and Hunk stare at the console curiously.

“Okay, that's how that works,” Pidge states as the second pod ejects the older man. Lance raises and eyebrow when he comes out screaming.

“Enemy combatants! Quiznak! You're lucky I have a case of the old “sleep chamber knees.” Otherwise, I'd grab your head like this, wrap you up like so--and one, two, three-- Sleepy time!” the older man says as he makes shooting noises, grunts, and groans.

“Well, before you did that, I'd knock you on your back quicker than you can say... quiznak?” Lance replies with a hesitant smile. The older man blinks at Lance and opens to speak, but Allura beats him.

“It can't be....” Allura leans against the console in shock as her legs begin to shake. The older man comes over quickly.

“What is it?”

“We've been asleep for 10,000 years,” Allura pauses staring at the hologram screens, “Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization...” her eyes harden, “Zarkon.” Hunk and Lance share a look as Shirogane gasps out in shock.

“Zarkon?”

“He was the King of the Galra. A vile creature and enemy to all free people,” Allura stands, looking at the team with a hidden hatred. Shirogane has a slightly lost look on his face. Keith glances at him worried. Pidge looks at everything going on from their spot.

“I remember now... I was his prisoner,” Shirogane says while holding his right arm. Allura snaps her attention towards Shirogane quicker than a cobra strike.

“He's still alive? Impossible!”

“I can't explain it, but it's true. He's searching for a super weapon called Voltron.”

Allura frowns and shares a quick glance with Coran. Coran's eyebrows furrow together with concern.

“He's searching for it because he knows it's the only thing that can defeat him, and that's exactly why we must find it before he does,” Allura states determined. Lance moves closer to Hunk and taps his shoulder subtly. Hunk glances down at Lance from the corner of his eye. Hunk takes a deep breath and nods. Lance turns to see Pidge standing quietly, trying to take in all of the information. Coran leaves the room for a quick tick and comes back with a plate of green mush. Lance stares at it and almost gags but instead buries his head in Hunk's arm. Hunk glances down at Lance confused. Lance shakes his head quietly.

_“What the hell is this?” Lance says poking at the green mush. Assane shrugs and punches his shoulder playfully._

_“Don't be rude. It's food, Lance. You know the stuff you put in your mouth?” she nudges Lance quickly and they both stand up giving a Vaorian salute to an Altean Official. The Altean Official nods as she passes and they both return to their meal._

_“Fine, I won't complain. Lord Nelairi would be so disappointed if I managed to create a diplomatic scandal,” Lance puts a spoon of green mush in his mouth and chews with a empty expression. Assane laughs softly._

_“You're a warrior of Vaoria. Surely you wouldn't be defeated by green mush,” Assane says while scooping up her own spoon of mush._

_“Oh shiena, Assane. Still, this is just...,” Lance stops mid-sentence as the ground shakes uncontrollably. He stands up as the sky lights up orange. His navy blue eyes widen, before flipping the table over and pushing Assane down._

Lance closes his eyes tightly. He stands back as he feels Hunk speak.

“I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm starving.”

“Good point....” Pidge whispers tilting their head at Lance. He smiles brightly making them roll their eyes. Hunk pulls the plate over and munches on the mush. He makes a face and Lance chuckles softly.

“I can't believe your civilization created such advanced technology 10,000 years ago. It must have been an incredible place,” Shirogane exclaims while looking around the control room. Pidge walks over to the console once more and glances at the screens with curiosity. Coran backs away from Allura and gives Shirogane a sad smile.

“Yes, it was... but now it is gone and we're the last Alteans alive,” Coran states, before he hugs Allura who begins to sob quietly into his shoulder. Lance glances away frowning; his fists clenched so tightly that the nails bit into his skin. Allura's head snaps up as she gasps in surprise and walks over to a little area. She sees four little mice jumping and waving all while squeaking happily.

“Oh, looks like we're not the last, after all,” Allura says softly, before picking them up and giving them a face hug. A loud alarm starts to blare, causing Coran to glance at the hologram and Lance to widen his stance unconsciously, alert.

“A Galra battleship has set its tracker to us!” Coran says loudly as Allura walks up next to him. Pidge and Keith get closer to the screen to see, while Shirogane stands behind them. Hunk stays near Lance.

“How did they find us?” 

“Wrong question, ask another one because they're coming,” Lance says calmly, forcibly relaxing his shoulders. 

Shirogane turns to Allura. “How long before they arrive?” 

“At their speed? Oh, well, carry the two... I'd say probably a couple of days,” Coran replies putting his fingers down from their counting. Allura turns to look at the screen determinedly.

“Well good. Let them come! By the time they get here, you five will have reformed Voltron, and together, we will destroy Zarkon's empire!” Allura says passionately. Lance takes in the information on the screen. He couldn't do the math behind it to double check Coran's calculations without knowing the Galra battleship's maximum speed output, not to mention he's never seen that model before.

“Princess, there are five of these lions. How are we going to find the rest?” 

Allura puts the mice down and walks to the center of the control room. Coran moves the team to the side to watch as she works. A stream of light comes down surrounding her.

“King Alfor connected the lions to Allura's life force. She alone is the key to the lions' whereabouts,” Coran explains watching as Allura pulls up a holographic map of the universe. The blue light lights up the entire control room. Lance studies the star system with a heavy heart. So his assumption back on Earth was right, Vaoria doesn't exist in this universe. He hears the team gasp out in surprise and awe.

“These are coordinates. The Black Lion looks like it's in the same location as the Blue Lion,” Pidge points out with their finger.

“Look at your primitive synapses firing away in their little brain cage,” Coran says, pointing at Pidge's head. Allura smiles as she takes in the team.

“Very observant. That's because the Black Lion is in the castle.”

Coran follows up with, “to keep the Black Lion out of Zarkon's hands, King Alfor locked it in the castle. It can only be freed if the other four lions are present.”

“As you have found, the lions choose their pilots. It is a mystical bond and cannot be forced. The quintessence of the pilot is mirrored in his lion. Together, they form something greater than science can explain. The Black Lion,” Allura moves the image towards Shirogane, “is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation. That is why, Shiro, you will pilot the Black Lion. The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring.” The hologram of the Green Lion moves in front of Pidge, “which is why Pidge, you will pilot the Green Lion. The Blue Lion-” 

“I don't need to know why the Blue Lion chose me,” Lance replies putting his right hand on his hip and his left arm hanging relaxed by his side. Allura rolls her eyes, but moves onward to the next lion. Lance glances away slightly and closes his eyes briefly, feeling the ground underneath his feet along with all of the bodies in the room.

“The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together,” Allura says softly with an encouraging smile.

Hunk gives her a questioning look as she moves onto the last lion. Hunk spies Lance out the corner of his eye and notices how his eyes are closed. This use to happened more after his bout with the drill instructor, where Lance would fall into a trance-like moments. Allura moves the Red Lion over to Keith.

“The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. Keith, you will fly the Red Lion,” Allura sighs softly, “Unfortunately, I cannot locate the Red Lion's coordinates yet. There must be something wrong with the castle,” she chuckles with a sheepish smile, “after 10,000 years, it might need some work.” Coran smiles encouragingly as he moves in front of the team. Lance snaps his navy blue eyes open, blinking rapidly with a slight move of his head. 

“Don't worry, we'll find it soon. They don't call me “The Coranic” for nothing. It's because it sounds like “mechanic.” So... Coranic, mechanic. It's not-it doesn't sound...exactly like it. It's similar,” Coran rambles until the Red Lion roars and all five lions move together. Pidge gasps in awe as the transformation of the lions happen.

“Once all the lions are united, you will form Voltron, the most powerful warrior ever known, the Defender of the Universe,” Allura says proudly, smiling widely. Hunk stares at the holographic image excited.

“Awesome!” Hunk exclaims, “Umm, wait, I get that we're going to be in there and flying lions. Got that part. How do lions turn into legs? Also, is this going to be a long trip?”

“We don't have much time. Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion. Lance, you take Hunk and get the Yellow one. Keith,” Shirogane puts a hand on his shoulder, “you stay here. If you locate that Red Lion, go get it.”

“In the meantime, I'll get this castle's defenses ready. They'll be sorely needed.” Allura says while pulling up holographic screens. Coran turns to look at them.

“I'll ready a pod and load in the coordinates so that you can reach the Green Lion,” Coran explains, before walking off to the docking port. Shirogane and Pidge nod to each other before following Coran. Lance gives Hunk a small smile and nods towards the door. Keith stands awkwardly next to Allura as she works.

****

Shirogane and Pidge walk after Coran. Pidge stares at the castle surroundings while taking in the technology.

“Coran, can I ask a question?” Pidge inquires moving to catch up with the tall Altean. Coran gives them a nod. “I don't understand how the Princess decided which one of us would get which lion. You guys barely know us for more than a few minutes. I mean, other than Lance, how did she do it?”

“That was on my mind actually. She mentions that the lions choose their pilots and a bond is formed,” Shirogane points out. Coran gives them a sheepish smile.

“Princess Allura explained what each lion looks for in a pilot and from what we saw, I presume, took an educated guess. There was something about all of you that the Princess saw and decided,” Coran answers as they get deeper into the castle.

“And this bond is formed through similar quintessence? What is quintessence?” Pidge continues to question as the door to the docking port opens.

“Quintessence is a mysterious substance that can be found in all things to some degree. We don't really know much about it truth be told other than you have it inside as does the lions,” Coran states as he opens a pod and begin loading the coordinates. He lets Shirogane and Pidge inside of the pod, before explaining the controls.

****

Hunk exits the control room with Lance. They walk back the way they came towards the entrance of the castle. They walk in silence. Hunk glances down at Lance worried.

“Lance?”

“Hmm?” Lance replies absently.

“Will we be alright?” Hunk questions, glancing down at his feet as he continues walking. Lance takes a deep breath and licks his lips.

“We'll be fine, buddy. We got this, I promise,” Lance turns to study Hunk's face, “what's on your mind?”

“I never thought we'd be in space like this. That there would be aliens out there trying to kill and enslave the entire universe,” Hunk whispers shakily. Lance stops Hunk by grabbing his elbow.

“Hey, we might not be trained to fight. We weren't prepared to be soldiers, but Hunk no one is born knowing how to fight in a war. And as long as there are sentient beings, I highly doubt we could get away with a peace forever. There's too many differences and those differences can create divides when it should create such beautiful connections instead,” Lance says softly; his navy blue eyes staring right into Hunk's brown eyes, “it's going to be okay. We'll learn together and as a team. No one is prepared to learn about war on a galactic level.” Hunk gives him a shaky smile. 

“Thanks, Lance,” Hunk replies.

“Now come on, let's go get the Yellow Lion.” Lance pulls Hunk along as they head towards the Blue Lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter finishes up the first episode. Thanks for the support everyone! I am always excited to receive comments and kudos! :D


	13. Finding the Lions

The blue lights illuminate the cockpit as Lance slides into the chair. Hunk stands behind the seat with his hands on the backrest. Lance moves quickly with practiced ease goes through preflight checks. Hunk blinks, wide eyes as Lance's hands move with familiarity with the holographic screens. His navy blue eyes track the system conditions, before glancing up to see a screen with Allura and Coran and another with Shirogane and Pidge.

“Now, we can only keep the wormholes that lead to the other lions open for two of your Earth hours, so you'll have to be quick about your work,” Coran explains while typing into the console for their wormhole jumps, “The good news is that according to my readings, both planets are relatively peaceful. So, if you do get stuck, they could be relaxing places to live out the rest of your lives,” Coran smiles brightly as the wormholes begin to open up, “well, enjoy the trip!” The entire team all being to protest while Lance checks for the coordinates again.

“Wait! What? No! I did not receive the memo on this!” Hunk exclaims as his face pales. Lance pushes the controls forward and the lion goes into the wormhole. As they go through, Lance puts a comforting hand on Hunk's hand without looking back.

“Relax, buddy. We're going to be fine. Trust me,” Lance says quietly, before returning his full attention to his screens. Hunk feels a sense of calm wash over him and glances down at Lance. There was something different about Lance.

****

Shirogane and Pidge fly through the wormhole and end up on a green planet. They take in the green planet. It almost looks like Earth, however, there is a sphere of blue around it like an atmosphere. As Shirogane pilots the pod down towards the planet's surface, Pidge pulls out a small device and checks the coordinates.

“How close are we, Pidge?” Shirogane questions as he maneuvers the pod to land, “because, I don't think I can get the pod any closer than this.”

“We're going to need to walk for a bit,” Pidge replies before jumping out of the pod. Shirogane hops out and locks up the pod. Pidge is holding the device in both of their hands studying the planet hologram. Pidge starts walking off in the direction of the coordinates, while Shirogane walks behind them quietly. The device beeps while they continue to walk through the dense forest. Shirogane looks at the different trees and plants as Pidge keeps their focus mainly on the device in their hands. They keep walking in silence until they end up at the edge of a river. They both glance around until Pidge notices a wooden canoe with a lion's head docked along the riverbank. “Look!” Pidge points at the canoe when they turn back there is giant sloth looking alien standing beside them with a gentle smile.

“AH!” they both scream, while Pidge jumps swiftly onto Shirogane's back as Shirogane leans away from the alien. The sloth alien notices the symbol on the electronic device.

“It's just a... whatever that thing is,” Pidge states as the sloth alien begins walking towards the canoe. Pidge climbs down from Shirogane and stare at the alien. The sloth alien motions them to the canoe with a moan. “I... I think he wants us to get in his canoe.”

Shirogane smiles, “Then I guess we should go.” Pidge glances up at him with a confused look. Shirogane shrugs, “I've been locked up by aliens for a year. This is nothing.” He walks past them towards the canoe. Pidge runs to catch up and they all get inside the canoe with Shirogane in the back and Pidge in the front. As the alien sloth pushes the canoe, alien lifeforms come out of hiding smiling and waving happily. Pidge stares at the alien animals in awe and laughs softly. Shirogane takes in the scenery and the new alien animals with wonder as the canoe goes deeper into the dense forest.

Pidge chuckles under their breath with a wide smile, “I wonder if Hunk and Lance are having as good a time as us.”

****

As soon as the wormhole spits them out, Lance frowns as multiple signals appear on his screens while the alarms start blaring loudly. Lance pushes the controls forward quickly, moving the lion out of the path of a laser from a fighter ship. Hunk starts shaking his head as his grip on the back of the chair tightens, making the chair squeak.

“Oh, no! No, no, no! Oh!” Hunk screams as Lance maneuvers the lion out of the path of the fighters.

“Buddy! Calm down, I need you to focus on my voice,” Lance orders out calmly as he braces for impact from the heavy fire.

“I thought Coran said these planets were peaceful!”

“Buddy, Hunk, please I gave you my word. Now you can do this, focus alright, where are the coordinates? Are we close?” Lance questions while shooting at the enemy ships. Lance's blue eyes move quickly between the screens and what the Blue Lion sees. Hunk and Lance both brace as more shots hit the ship. Hunk grunts, pulling out the device with the coordinates.

“According to the coordinates, we're right on top of the Yellow Lion. It's below there, where they're mining for the ore. They don't even know the lion is there. Or maybe they just got here and they're digging for the lion? What do you think, Lance?” Hunk says while glancing down at Lance, whose eyes are completely focused on the screen. Hunk tilts his head taking in this side of Lance.

“Hunk, I can't answer that right now. There's too much fire, I'm going to have to drop you down there,” Lance says dodging another fighter ship's fire and rolling out of the way of another attack.

“Wait! Me? Down there? No. No, no, no,” Hunk shakes his head quickly in disbelief and fear. 

“Yes, I'll cover you!” Lance says as calmly as he can while making the lion fly up and over the fighter ship and shooting it out of the sky.

“No, what if the Yellow Lion doesn't work? What – what if I – what if I can't get in the mine? What if I start crying?” Hunk says in a quick and panicked way. Lance's mouth thins into a straight line as he continues maneuvering the lion, stepping on the aliens. “It's too late, I'm already crying!”

“Hunk, you got this. No more time for questions,” Lance says while running fast towards the opening in the mountain, “good luck!” Lance ejects Hunk from the lion right into the opening of the mine shaft. “Alright... while he's doing that....” Lance turns his full attention to the fighter ships with a wide smile.

Hunk goes rolling through the sand and jumps onto his feet running for cover behind the lift. Groaning and grunting, Hunk pulls the panel off of the control panel, “Oh yeah, sure, just drop me off on an alien planet. That's cool, man. It's only occupied by mean purple aliens that want to _kill_ me, but whatever,” he pulls out some of the cables and tries to jump start the lift, “just ignore them and go connect with a big, yellow, mechanical cat. Easy-peasy. Yeah. That all makes a ton of sense to me.” The lift starts to move down deeper into the mine, while Hunk stands up and takes in the cave markings, “wow cool....” 

The lift arrives at the bottom of the mine shaft and Hunk jumps off. Hunk pants and braces himself as the ground shakes from the attacks up top.

“Okay, I'm in a giant hole. Now what, Hunk?” Hunk sees the markings light up in a brilliant yellow and his eyes follow the markings as they light up, “Huh? Whoa. Pretty. How am I going to get through that?” Hunk glances around the cavern and spots a drill, “hmm? Hmm....”

Lance grunts as another beam hits the lion. The Blue Lion beeps, pulling up a target on three fighter ships that is coming towards him. Lance clenches his jaw tightly as he pushes the control forward towards the fighters and beings shooting his own beams. Elsewhere, Hunk manages to drill through the wall and into the cavern holding the Yellow Lion where Hunk gasps out in awe. Lance continues to fire on the fighter ships with sweat rolling down the side of his face. While distracted with some other fighters, three other ones head for the cave opening, Lance's eyes widen as he turns the lion around quickly and continues firing at them.

“Fusik!” Lance curses as the fighter that he managed to hit released a missile that hits the wall, caving in the opening, “HUNK!” Lance's eyes glow blue briefly as he snarls angrily under his breath, “oh you are going to pay for that, Galra.” Lance pushes the controls forward and makes the lion bite down on the fighter ships while swiping at the other ship in half with the lion's tail. Lance feels the lion showing him the entire field as he tries to destroy the ships. 

****

Shirogane and Pidge are still on the canoe heading towards the coordinates. The green landscape passes by without more than a footnote in their eyes.

“I know the Princess said this is supposed to be my lion, but what if she's wrong? I mean, she's probably not wrong. She's a princess, but I'm not a pilot, even though I've always wanted to be a pilot. I mean I read all the fighter manuals, but I never got to fly the simulator,” Pidge rambles while Shirogane shares a sheepish glance with the sloth alien. “But hey, I can't be that worse than Lance,” Pidge continues while hyping themselves into a panic attack, “but what if I get in there and it doesn't respond? What if I get in there and it's too big and my feet don't touch the pedals? What if there aren't even pedals?”

Shirogane takes a breath, “You're rambling. Listen... Our commander on the Kerberos Mission is the smartest man I ever met, and he always said, “If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great.” Pidge smiles wistfully at his words. Their attention is diverted when the canoe comes up towards the vine covered pyramid. The sloth alien docks the canoe along the shore allowing them to disembark. The alien waves and watches as the two of them continue forwards towards the pyramid. The ground begins to light up green with the lion markings. Shirogane smiles as Pidge stares at the markings with some hesitation. Shirogane puts a hand on their shoulder with an encouraging smile, “Go. Be great.” He watches as they nod enthusiastically, before running towards the pyramid, determined. Pidge climbs over the huge vines as they try to reach the top of the pyramid. At the top, Pidge feels the wind blow around them as they try to locate the lion. The lion roars as Pidge smirks widely.

“Whoo-hoo!” Pidge yells, before jumping down into the overgrown vines. Shirogane braces himself as the ground shakes and he glances up as the Green Lion comes flying out of the vines. He smiles up at Pidge and the lion proudly.

****

Lance grunts as the lions rocks from enemy fire. “Hunk, come on! Please, buddy!” The fighters manage a coordinated attack that sends Lance and the Blue Lion crashing to the planet's surface. “If only those fighters weren't shooting, I could try to locate Hunk,” Lance studies the screens that are blinking red and blaring loudly. The Blue Lion's systems are in critical condition and might not be able to sustain anymore damage. Lance bites his lower lip in frustration. The Blue Lion pulls up more fighter ships about to send missiles at them. “Alright... fusik....” Lance sighs as he braces himself for impact that never comes as Hunk and the Yellow Lion come flying out of the ground blocking the missiles. “Hunk!”

“You okay, Lance?” Hunk says as he moves the Yellow Lion to destroy the fighter ships.

“That was amazing, buddy,” Lance says softly with a smile. Hunk nods with a smile.

“Thanks, but seriously what this lacks in speed, it more than makes up for in armor. Man, can it take a beating! Ooh. We've got more incoming!” Hunk replies while they both continue to destroy fighter ships that attack them.

“Paladins! Please hurry back. I can't hold the wormhole much longer!” Allura says as her image pops up on their screens. Lance and Hunk share a look before shooting off into the sky and towards the wormhole. The fighter ships shoot at them as they fly at top speed. Lance feels the energy from one of the shots and makes the Blue Lion grab the Yellow Lion in its mouth, flying through the wormhole just as it closes behind them. 

****

As soon as they arrive in calmer space, Lance lets go of the Yellow Lion and allows for Hunk to pilot it back towards the castle. Lance takes a deep breath and pops his back in back. He watches as Hunk walk the Yellow Lion into the Lion's Den and hopping out of his lion. Lance pats the Blue Lion fondly. Getting up, Lance stop walking as his left arm goes numb briefly. Lance bits down on his lower lip, glaring at his arm. He rubs his left shoulder as he walks out of the Blue Lion and meets up with Hunk.

“I knew you could do it Hunk,” Lance says softly, smiling gently. Hunk returns the smile, but groans as they make their way towards the bridge. “You're sore aren't you?”

“Yeah, man. Is piloting always like that?” Hunk questions sharing a glance with Lance. 

“Not all the time, but it does take quite a bit of mental and physical fortitude,” Lance replies nonchalantly, while shrugging his shoulders. “How's piloting for the first time?”

“It was not that bad... just Lance I'm an engineer not a fighter pilot... what if I can't do this?” Hunk starts rambling, “I mean... even Pidge has read the fighter manuals....” Lance puts a hand on Hunk's shoulder and looks at him seriously.

“We're all going to be learning, Hunk. Plus, we're in this together so... if there's anything that you don't know or understand....” Lance reassures while infusing a calming energy through his hand and into Hunk's shoulder. Hunk blinks as Lance's eyes glow blue for a brief second, it was gone so fast that Hunk wasn't sure if he saw it correctly. Lance gives him a huge smile after dropping his hand to his side. Hunk misses Lance's hand on his shoulder, the calm feeling that he got from Lance settles like a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. “Come on, we shouldn't keep the Princess and the others waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another chapter! Woot! Okay maybe its two more chapters until we finish episode 1. I write so slow! Any way, enjoy! :D


	14. First Real Battle

Lance lags behind Hunk gripping his left arm tightly, clenching his teeth as a stinging, numbing pain runs down his entire arm. Hunk is groaning and complaining about their trip to the planet.

“Seriously, Coran said that the planet was supposed to be peaceful,” Hunk points out walking towards the command room. Lance hums in agreement.

“I wonder how Pidge and Shirogane's trip went. Hopefully, it wasn't too dangerous,” Lance says while dropping his arms to his sides, “by the way, maybe you could ask Pidge if they still have some of their fighter manuals. It might not be the same as the Lions controls but it could help with some of the other practical things.”

“Hmm, good idea. Maybe later though. Let's see what the others are up to,” Hunk replies as the doors open to the command room.

“You made it,” Allura says while bringing her hands down to her sides. The holographic screens disappear from view. Hunk is massaging his back as they walk through the doors. He groans while Lance gives them a slightly tired smile. When was the last time they got a break again? A mediation session would be nice.

“Of course we did,” Lance replies popping his shoulders. Hunk makes a face while rubbing his neck.

“I felt like I was going to puke the entire time.”

“Yeah. We had a tough time, too,” Pidge says while glancing up at Shiro who gives them a faint smile. 

“Did we find the Red Lion yet?” Shirogane asks getting right to the point. 

“Allura just located it. There's a bit of good news and bad news,” Coran pulls the end of his mustache, “The good news is, the Red Lion's nearby,” he crosses his arms, “The bad news is, it's on board that Galra ship now orbiting Arus. But wait, good news again. We're Arus!” 

Shirogane leans forward exclaiming in disbelief, “They're here already?”

Coran smiles nervously, “Yes. Guess my calculations were a bit off. Finger counting is—it's more of an art than a science. Hmm?” A holographic screen begins to come into focus behind Allura and Coran. The team tenses as a purple alien with fluffy ears appears. Lance blinks, fingers itching towards his silver needles in his leg pouch.

“Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Known Universe. I am here to confiscate the lions. Turn them over to me, or I _will_ destroy your planet,” the one eyed Galra states calmly before disappearing from view. Shirogane moves forward to address the team.

“All right, let's not panic,” Shirogane says. Lance counts to three before Hunk starts to panic.

“Not panic? Th- The scary purple alien thing is driving his battleship towards us. We only have four lions,” Hunk explains while moving his hands and arms erratically. Lance walks over to Hunk and gives him a tug on his arm with a tired smile.

“Hunk, buddy... calm down for a bit so we can brainstorm some ideas. Let's not give up just yet, yeah?” Lance turns to Shirogane, Allura, and Coran, “please tell me there is something that this 10,000 year old castle can do?” 

“Actually, it's 10,600 years old. You see, it was built by my grandfather-” Coran says before Allura snaps her fingers together with a smile.

“Wait! This castle has a particle barrier we can activate.” 

Coran pulls up some holograms to do some quick calculations on the weapons, “The particle barrier won't hold Sendak's ion cannon forever. The Galra technology must have advanced since we fought them last.”

“Panic now?” Hunk inquires glance between all of them. Lance glances at the calculations on the holographic screen silently.

“No. We've just got to figure out our plan of action, and figure it out quickly,” Shirogane points out, concern lurking underneath his words. 

“How about we pop through a wormhole and live to fight another day? We gave it the old college try. Couldn't do it. We only have four, three technically. We can't form Voltron,” Hunk states on the verge of hysterics. Lance unconsciously moves a hand onto Hunk's arm and infuses calming energy through the physical connection; his eyes glow briefly. Coran sees the change in Lance's eyes, but remains silent watching while the glow disappears. 

“We can't just abandon Arus. The Galra will keep destroying planets and capturing prisoners until we stop them,” Pidge points out angry.

“Could we run, then maybe Sendak will follow us and leave this planet alone, like when we left Earth. We make the wormhole and get out of here,” Hunk inputs from his spot. 

“Sendak could destroy the planet then come after us anyway. Staying is our only option,” Keith argues getting into Hunk's personal space. Lance zones out while doing calculations with the information on the holographic screen.

“We're leaving!” Hunk says evenly.

“No, staying,” Keith replies aggressively. Pidge voices their thoughts on staying. Shirogane glances between the three of them arguing and makes a move to talk. Lance slams his hands down on the console in front of him. His dark navy eyes holding a hard dark glint. Shirogane blinks in surprise along with Coran and Allura.

“Please stop arguing. Shirogane, you wanted to ask something?” Lance says without raising his voice. 

“Thank you, Lance,” Shirogane turns to Allura, “Princess Allura, these are your lions. You've dealt with the Galra Empire before. You know what we're facing better than any of us. What do _you_ think is the best course of action?” Allura glances down at her hands worried.

“I... I don't know.”

Coran smiles weakly at Allura, “Perhaps your father can help.” Allura turns to focus on him.

“My father?”

Coran nods solemnly. He turns to the team, “Princess Allura and I will be back in a few.” The team nods while the two leave the command room. Shirogane sighs tiredly as the team is left in a tense silence. 

Lance sits down on the steps and closes his eyes exhausted. He takes a quiet breath, lets it out in a slow eight seconds and holds it for another three, before repeating the process. The energy of the castle and those around him calls softly to him. He can feel the Blue Lion still waiting in the hanger. Lance feels everyone's energy coiled around them in tension and anxiety. Lance shoulders slump as he opens his eyes to take in the room. Everyone is off in their own corner of the command room, quietly thinking to themselves. 

****

The doors slide open to show the huge empty chamber with a device in the center of the room. Coran lets Allura inside before following her a distance. 

“Coran, what is this?” Allura whispers taking in the plain interior of the chamber. Coran smiles weakly standing halfway in the room. 

“King Alfor knew there was a chance that he might never see you again. So his memories, his very being, were stored in this computer for you,” Coran explains with his arms crossed, “I'll give you two some privacy.”

“Thank you, Coran,” Allura replies absently. Coran gives her one more look before walking out of the chamber. 

****

Now that he has some time to himself, Coran walks into his room to pull up the Castle's logs. Coran sees the initial scans of the team and sees for the most part nothing wrong with the scans. Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Shirogane's scans check out with the exception of Shirogane's metal arm and Pidge's biological gender. The one that has a red flag next to it was Lance's scan. Coran pulls up the scan and stares at the information that glares back at him. He scrolls through and sees all the unknown information sitting on the screen. In the others, the basic information was inputted but there were so much missing information on Lance's. The height, weight, hair and eye color, race, and physical problems were recorded; however, Lance's had no race. Coran remembers the glow from his eyes along with the knowledge of the word “quiznak” and frowns. 

“Who are you, Lance?” Coran questions while trying running his characteristics through the castle database of races. Coran pulls on his mustache briefly thinking. The castle computer goes through the list slowly. “I think I'll keep my eye on you, young man.” 

Coran leaves the computer to it's job of comparing Lance's data to that of database and returns to the command room.

****

Coran enters the command room to see the team waiting nervously. He sees Lance sitting on the steps watching the entire room quietly. Lance notices Coran watching him and stands up. He walks over to him.

“You were staring. Did you need something, Coran?” Lance inquires in a whisper. Coran sees how Lance keeps his attention on the others in the room. 

“Not at all, my boy. I was merely taking in the room and everyone's appearance,” Coran explains, “10,000 years ago, the human race was not even capable of space travel due to being in the early stages of advancement.”

“I suppose so. Though we have come quite a long ways since then,” Lance replies softly, “I'm sure there are going to be knowledge that is outdated due to you two being asleep for 10,000 years.”

“Lance, could I ask you a question?”

Lance chuckles under his breath, “I believe you already did, but go ahead.”

“How did the five of you end up here? Could it been fate that brought you all together?”

Lance leans against the wall, thinking, “We followed the signs we found on Earth. I don't believe in fate really. Our decisions shape the future and those actions will have consequences that echo well into the future itself,” Lance crosses his arms, while Pidge has pulled out their computer and was typing away at something, “If anything, we all happened to be in the right place at the right time.” Keith paces back and forth, impatient. Hunk has resorted to keeping himself busy by reading his notebook over and over. Shirogane looks lost in his own mind. Silence falls between the two of them. Lance sighs quietly to himself and rubs his eyes tiredly. Coran turns to see Allura come in dressed in her battle armor. Lance blinks as the team comes over to meet her.

“Please follow me,” Allura states determined. The team walks after her and Coran falls into step with her. She leads them down to the armor room. The team takes in the room that has five pods holding suits of different colors along the back wall. “You five paladins were brought here for a reason. The Voltron Lions are meant to be piloted by you and you alone. We must fight and keep fighting until we defeat Zarkon. It is our destiny. Voltron is the universe's only hope. We are the universe's only hope.”

“We're with you, Princess,” Shirogane replies with a determined expression. Allura gives them a grateful smile.

“Your suits of armor,” Allura presents as the team heads over to their respective armors to try it on. There are exclamations from each of them. Coran stands quietly next to her.

“Princess, are you sure about this? They aren't exactly the best and brightest the universe has to offer,” Coran whispers out in concern.

“No, but they are all we got,” Allura says in reply. Coran nods quietly in acquiescence.

“I'll go and see about the particle barrier,” Coran states while walking out of the room. 

“Boys, it's time to suit up!” Shirogane exclaims as they all put their own suits on. Lance slides into his suit quietly; he almost misses the suit that he left back on Earth. That one has pockets for little knick knacks which would have been most helpful. Lance takes off his leg pouch and stares at it, hesitantly debating whether to wear it or leave it in the castle. Considering that the leg pouch was made to go with his own suit of armor, Lance straps it on his leg. The weight provides comfort, knowing that his weapons are on hand. As the team finishes suiting up, Allura steps forward and lays her hand on the table as it opens up to show some weapons.

“The bayard is the traditional weapon of the Paladins of Voltron. It takes a distinct shape for each paladin,” Allura explains while everyone takes their bayard and tests them out, “Shiro, I am afraid your bayard got lost with its paladin.”

“I guess I'll just have to make do,” Shirogane replies with a sheepish smile. The team heads back up to the command room and pulls up the Galra battleship. Lance remains quiet while trying to sear into his mind the layout of the ship. Shame he doesn't have photographic memory.

“You'll need to retrieve the Red Lion from Sendak's ship,” Allura points out looking at the ship. Keith crosses his arms as he takes in the ship size.

“That's a pretty big ship. How are we going to know where the Red Lion is?” Keith inquires, looking at the team.

“Well, it's not a matter of “we.” It's a matter of “you,”” Pidge points out glancing at Keith. Hunk glances up.

“Pidge is right. Once we get you in, you'll be able to feel its presence and like track it down,” Hunk states calmly.

“Keith, remember, the Red Lion is extremely temperamental. You'll have to earn its respect,” Allura points out.

“All right. Here's our plan of attack,” Shirogane begins to explain.

****

Lance and Hunk pilots their Lions towards the Galra battleship. Hunk takes an unsteady breath as they get closer and closer. Lance studies all of his screens with a quick eye before sending a video transmission to the battleship.

“Attention, Galra ship. Do not fire. We're surrendering our lions,” Lance shuts the communications off and takes a deep breath watching calmly. Hunk is quiet in his lion next to him. “Pidge, what's your ETA?” Pidge pilots the Green Lion onto the bottom of the battleship and cuts a hole into the hull. 

“We're in,” Pidge whispers as Keith and Shirogane float inside. Lance smiles to himself.

“Fantastic,” Lance mutters as the Galra battleship begins to emit a purple light.

“What's that thing?” Hunk questions after a beat he hears Lance hiss over the secure communication line.

“That's our queue to get out of here!” Lance moves Blue out of the beam's line and flies away, Hunk following suit. The Galra battleship releases their fighters to attack. “Hunk, you dismantle the ion cannon while I take these jerks on a space ride!”

“Ten-four!” Hunk moves around the ship to get a better view of the ion cannon. “Lance!”

“Yeah?” Lance shoots the right wing of the fighter plane.

“They'll fix it even when we destroy it,” Hunk points out while making quick calculations on the best location to fire. He charges up his beam. 

“Then we'll keep destroying it until they get out. Hopefully, Princess Allura and Coran are able to fix the particle barrier,” Lance replies bracing for impact. “Ugh. Come on you guys.”

****

Keith, Shirogane, and Pidge enter the ship through the hole that Pidge cut. They sneak quietly into the hall. Shirogane frowns and grunts out in pain as images flash through his mind. 

“Shiro?” Keith inquires softly, with his eyebrows creased in concern.

“I've been here before. After I was taken by the Galra cruiser off Kerberos, they brought us here,” Shirogane whispers holding the side of his head. Pidge perks up in hope and surprise. 

“So, that means your other crew-members, they might be held captive here. We... we've got to rescue them,” Pidge states with a strange sense of urgency. 

“Pidge we don't have time. We have to get the Red Lion and get back to Arus,” Shirogane replies sternly. Pidge straightens up at them and glares at them.

“But! We can't just leave prisoners here,” Pidge argues definitely. Shirogane looks at the two with some hesitation. 

“Look, no one understands that more than me, but, in war, we have to make hard choices. Now, let's get moving,” Shirogane states calmly. Pidge puts their foot down and glares up at the two taller members.

“No! Commander Holt is my father. He and my brother were the ones on the Kerberos Mission with you. I'm not leaving,” Pidge replies hotly. Keith stares between the two of them with concern. Shirogane starts with shock.

“Commander Holt is your father?”

“Yes. I've been searching everywhere for him and my brother. And I'm not going to give up looking when I'm this close. I won't!” Pidge exclaims on the verge of fuming. Keith watches Shirogane's face as he sees the fluctuating expressions.

“I'm coming with you,” Shirogane states out. Keith's eyes widen in concern.

“What?”

“I remember where the prisoners are held. Keith, you go find the Red Lion,” Shirogane replies calmly.

“By myself?” Keith exclaims with a slight panic undertone. 

“It's a minor change in plans. You'll be fine. Just remember, patience yields focus,” Shirogane says as a door opens up, “so... Run!” The Keith runs off in a different direction from Shirogane and Pidge.

Pidge and Shirogane walk through the halls silently until a sentinel comes into the hall spotting them. Pidge aims their arm at it and shots it quickly. 

“That thing saw us. We should get out of here,” Shirogane points out quietly. Pidge kneels down next to it to being fiddling with the wiring.

“Wait. I think this might come in handy. Now, I'll just reset the controls... and it's working for us. I'm going to call you “Rover,” Follow me!” Pidge walks after Shirogane as they get towards a door. “Open up!”

Shirogane laughs quietly, “Excellent job, Pidge.”

****

Keith smiles as he takes in the Red Lion. Running over, he puts a hand on the red force field.

“Let's get out of here. Open up,” Keith frowns as he begins to get frustrated, “It's me. Keith. Your buddy. It's me! Keith, your – I am your paladin!” Keith hits the screen angrily. Droid come into the room and beings shooting at him. “I'm bonding with you! Hey! Come on! We're connected!” Keith grunts as he dodges more lasers being fired in his direction. Keith takes one second to decide to open the hatch as the air being sucked out takes all of the droids. Keith's grip slackens as he gets pulled out into space. He hears a loud roar as the Red Lion swoops towards him and “eats him.” Keith smiles as he walks into the cockpit and sits down in the chair. “Good kitty. Let's roll!” He flies off towards Arus.

“Come on, just break, you stupid thing!” Hunk yells out in excitement, “Score one for Hunk! You guys made it!”

“Kitty Rose has left the stage!” Pidge points out with a huge smile. Shirogane stands behind their chair with a nod. The Red Lion and Keith flies past them towards Arus. 

“Hunk! Get the cannon!” Lance yells over the communications system. Lance shoots down a few more fighters as the team make a hasty retreat back to Arus. 

“I hope I stopped that cannon. I could barely make a dent in it,” Hunk points out as he guns the pedal.

Allura and Coran are in the command room watching as the lions stand in front of the hanger where the Black Lion waits patiently. Shirogane steps out of the Green Lion and stand in the middle of the semi-circle of Lions. The door to the hanger begins to open as Shirogane stands nervously waiting. Once the hanger doors open completely, the Black Lion roars loudly. The others roar in response. Lance has to blink as the roaring echoes in his head. 

Back on the command room, Allura clasps her hands together with a smile.

“Oh...!” Coran cheers in the background. The alarms begins blaring putting everyone on alert. Lance licks his lips nervous. Allura checks the screens. “Huh?”

“Oh, quiznak!” Coran exclaims in horror.

“Sendak is entering the Arusian atmosphere. We need Voltron now!” Allura commands while Shirogane hopes into the Lion. The Black Lion roars and flies out of the hanger. They land outside near the entrance of the castle glancing up at the incoming battleship. Lance glances over at his screens as he runs through some quick calculations. The ion cannon repairs seems to be near completion. Not even a second or two later, the ion cannon fires hitting the particle barrier and shaking the entire area. The team groans under the pressure.

“Man, those Galra guys repair things fast,” Hunk points out impressed.

“The barrier gets weaker with every blast. Once that shield goes down, the castle will be defenseless,” Coran explains glancing back at Allura. 

“I can give you cover with the castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!” Allura informs while glancing at her own screens.

“Jeez, no pressure,” Hunk mutters under his breath. The barrier crackles from the heavy fire. 

“Listen up, Team Voltron! The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do this! Are you with me?” Shirogane says as everyone else nods.

“I'm nodding. Is everyone else nodding?” Hunk inquires and receives a affirmative from the rest of team. Shirogane smiles and pushes his lion forward and into the fight.

“Let's do this!”

“Not to burst bubbles, but how?” Lance inquires while shooting at some fighter ships. 

“Good question. Does anyone have any ideas of how to form Voltron?” Shirogane questions while dodging some lasers.

“I don't see a “combine into giant robot” button anywhere on my dashboard,” Hunk replies slamming into a ship. 

“This is insane! Can't they just cease fire for one minute so we can figure this out? Is that too much to ask?” Pidge yells over the communication line. 

“It's not going to happen, Pidge,” Lance answers while having Blue bit down on a fighter ship. 

“We've got to do something,” Keith says turning around and biting a ship. Immediately after Hunk crashes his Lion into Keith's. “Hey!”

“Okay, that didn't work,” Hunk replies slightly sheepish. Allura glances down at the shield data and frowns.

“Quickly, Paladins! Our energy levels are getting low!” Allura groans as the castle barrier takes more damage. 

“Maybe if we fly in formation, we'll just combine. Take off on my cue. One, two, three, Voltron!” The team flies into air as the g-force goes against them. 

“Here we go!” Keith says as he grits his teeth. 

“Urgh, nothing's happening,” Shirogane points out frustrated. 

“I seriously don't think that matters right now. They're pulling us to their ship!” Lance exclaims while moving his controls, while the entire team begins to get suck up.

“Sendak's ship is sucking us in like a black hole!” Pidge exclaims slightly panicked. Allura and Coran both gasp out in horror.

“Oh, no...” Shirogane mutters as the images of the rest of the team show their shoulders slumping in defeat. Lance turns to look at Shirogane with a tilt of his head, silent.

“I-I don't care what you say, Shiro. I'm panicking now!” Hunk states screaming out in fear.

“It can't end here!” Pidge says out in denial.

“It's been an honor flying with you boys,” Keith says with a finality. Shirogane glances up at his screens and sees Lance's blue eyes glow with determination for a quick second. Shirogane blinks and the glow disappears but his determined gaze remains.

“No! We can do this,” Shirogane nods to himself as he takes in the rest of the team, “We have to believe in ourselves. We can't give up.” Shirogane gives each of the members a firm smile, “We are the universe's only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We _can't_ fail. We _won't_ fail. If we work together, we'll win together!” 

“Yeah!” Everyone exclaims at the same time the Lions all roar. They watch in surprise as the Lions change forms and quickly builds up Voltron. Allura and Coran both gasp out at the sight of Voltron standing there.

“I can't believe it!” Keith says out smiling brightly.

“We formed Voltron!” Pidge yells out excitedly. 

“I'm a leg! But how are we doing this?” Hunk replies with awe. Lance smiles fondly at Hunk's outburst and gives Shirogane a proud nod.

Shirogane nods back in thanks before turning his focus onto the battleship, “I don't know, but let's get that cannon.” Shirogane takes the cannon in Voltron's hands and rips it off of the battleship before shooting the Red Lion's cannon. They make hit after hit against the battleship until it blows up in the Arusian airspace. They dissemble Voltron and land their Lions in front of the entrance to the castle. Allura and Coran come out and wait for them to disembark. Lance takes a moment to even out his breathing before walking out to meet up with the rest of the team. 

“Good work, Paladins!” Allura greets them with a warm smile. The team smiles back and releases a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks, Princess.” Lance says softly with a tired smile.

“We did it,” Shirogane says still in disbelief.

“Heck yeah, we did,” Keith says bashfully smug.

“How did we do it?” Shirogane questions tiredly. Hunk looks at the team.

“I was just, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it?” Hunk replies calmly. Pidge glances down at their feet with slumped shoulders and slightly distressed. Shirogane puts a hand on their shoulder and gives them a smile.

“We're not going to stop searching until we find your brother and father. Wherever they are, I know they'd be proud of you,” Shirogane says softly. Pidge smiles and nods before returning their attention to Allura and Coran. 

“We won the battle, but the war has only just begun. I'm afraid Zarkon will not stop until he gets these lions,” Allura points out with her hands clasped together in front of her. Coran nods in agreement.

“Good thing you paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again.”

“Totally. Wait, what?” Hunk says looking at them with surprise and horror.

“You might want to rethink that knowing thing, Coran. We barely survived forming Voltron this one time,” Lance points out holding onto his helmet tightly.

“And you only had to fight one ship. Wait until you have to fight a whole fleet of them! It's not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Universe,” Coran ignores the comment and continues onward like nothing was said. The team's eyes widen in pleasant surprise before Shirogane turns to look at the five Lions behind them.

“Defenders of the Universe, huh? That's got a nice ring to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for Episode 1 of Season 1. Tell me how I did.
> 
> Also for the person who sent me a message on Tumblr! Thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it! 
> 
> For everyone else: Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Reading everyone's comments really makes my day and gives me happy feelings. I hope I can continue to bring happiness into your lives as you do to mine. 
> 
> Happy Voltron 1 Year Anniversary! :D


	15. Forming Voltron?

It's nighttime on the ship's clock. Most of the ship's occupants are sleeping. Walking through the ship quietly, Lance moves through the hallways. His eyes scans the halls for any slight movement or changes. He moves towards the command room. The doors open allowing Lance access. Lance moves towards the controls that Coran usually uses. He reads the Altean Language on the console. With confident hands, he turns it on. Holographic screens appear in front of him. He pulls up the map of the known universe. His eyes take in all of the red distressed planets. Pulling out his communicator he attached it to the console. He updates the map in his communicator as he types into the controls to give him alarms if something enters the ships radars. Lance comes across database on all of the known species and races. Lance gets that information downloaded for future readings. As he flicks through the database, he comes across the layout of the ship. Lance frowns when he sees the room in which Coran took Allura to earlier. There was no information on the room. Lance pulls out the communicator once the download completes and turns off the console. He walks out of the command room and continues through the dark silent halls. The energy from the crystal is pulsing through the ship underneath his feet as he continues towards the hangers. Stepping down in front of the Blue Lion, Lance puts a gentle hand on her nose.

“Hello Beautiful. Sorry for bothering you so late. I'm having trouble sleeping, you see,” Lance says softly petting her gently. The Blue Lion nudges him gently on the side of his head. She sends the image of a question to his mind. “There's so many things that this group will need to learn, before I can even believe we can fight the Galra forces on equal footing.” Blue lays her head down on her paws to listen closer to what Lance has to say. “I don't know the exact differences that these Galra have in comparison to those from my universe, but I do know that they are dangerous.”

The Blue Lion sends Lance more questions as he sits down in front of her. He can feel the other Lions in the hanger watching him quietly.

“I don't know how I should...” Lance quiets himself as he sits in front of the Blue Lion, “We left Earth so suddenly that I'm worried about those we left behind.” The Blue Lion shows him the image of his communicator. “I haven't tired calling. Not sure my communicator has Universe coverage.” Lance tilts his head, “Are you saying I should try calling anyway?” The Blue Lion shows equations and two planets equalling each other. “I suppose the laws of the universe wouldn't be extremely different from my own universe.” The Blue Lion encourages him to try. “Would this alert the Galra? Cause I don't want them to have leverage over us.” The Blue Lion sends him an image of a shrug. Lance pulls out his communicator and stares at it. He types in the home phone number and waits as it rings. Nothing happens and the ringing cuts off. Lance sighs before stuffing the communicator back into his pocket. “Looks like it's a no go.” Lance leans back and stares up at the Blue Lion, “Beautiful, I can trust the Princess and Coran right?” 

The Blue Lion nods quietly in return. She sends him images of sleep and bed, along with an early morning. Lance smiles as he lays his forehead on the Blue Lion's mouth. 

“Understood, Beautiful. Night,” Lance says before turning on his heels. He gives each of the Lions a good night as he passes by. 

****

_“Leader? What is that?” Rebel One questions from her spot inside her fighter. Lance stares at the holographic screen with a scrutinizing eye. The scene that was laid out in front of the Rebel forces was one of heavy resistance. Rebel Two remains quiet in her own fighter, studying the layout of all the enemies. In the middle of the entire fleet, was an unknown weapon. Lance frowns at the screen._

_“Whatever it is, it isn't good for our forces. We need to return to base,” Lance replies while taking photos of the scene._

Lance wakes up, blinking away the fog of the dream. He sits up to the darkness of his room and closes his eyes to focus on the energies around him. He can feel Hunk, Keith, and Shirogane in their rooms while Pidge is down in the medical bay with the freed prisoners. Lance feels Coran walking around the ship with Allura in the command room. Lance opens his eyes and stares at the Voltron suit hanging on the wall across from him. Lance stands up and puts on the suit. He attaches the helmet to this belt before attaching his leg strap with his needles and black stick. Lance takes a silent step out of his room and towards the bridge. He steps on the bridge as Allura and Coran decides to set of the alarms. Lance blinks from the sudden noise and Allura's acting skills. Lance leans against the wall watching silently. Coran takes notice of Lance in the corner of the room. Lance gives a Vaorian salute unconsciously, which Coran takes in with curiosity. Coran has never seen a salute quite like that in all the years that he followed his grandfather. 

Coran takes the mic and goes into an overdramatic dialogue of the danger. Lance sees the team slowly make their way in. No surprise, Shirogane is the first one to arrive fully geared, then Keith. Pidge and Hunk arrive last. Allura takes in the team with disappointment. Lance stays where he is comfortable, close enough to hear but far enough to hop into his zip line to his lion on a moments notice.

“I'm guessing this isn't an actual attack,” Shirogane says as he stands in front of Allura and Coran.

“And it was a good thing that it wasn't because it took you... Coran?” Allura turns to Coran.

“Seventy-five degrees... Oh... sorry this is a meat thermometer,” Coran says sheepishly before throwing it behind him.

“However long it was, it was too long. You must always be ready to do battle with Zarkon. Look at you! The only ones in uniform are Shiro and Lance. Keith, Pidge, Hunk, where are your bayards?” Allura exclaims with disbelief, “Coran and I have been up for hours getting the Castle back in order. We had to run a test on the alarms, and we decided to test you as well. Guess which one failed.”

“Princess, I know that you are eager to take the fight to Zarkon. However, you also need to understand that Monday night most of us were students on Earth with no idea that there was a dictator was controlling the known Universe,” Lance says softly from his corner with his arms crossed over his chest.

“How do you know that?” Coran questions, frowning. Lance takes in everyone's eyes. Allura's eyes are exceptionally hard. “We haven't mentioned anything about Zarkon's control over the known universe.” Lance takes in the silence that befalls the room. 

“Educated guess?” Lance responds with a shrug. Coran's eyes scrutinizes Lance as Allura accepts the response.

“Over the last 10,000 years, the Castle picked up distress beacons from the following locations. So, like Lance said, we have to assume that Zarkon has conquered almost the entire known universe. Earth is here. An attack on your planet is inevitable,” Allura points out while the rest of the team show their shock. Coran studies Lance's indifference to the news. Lance isn't surprise that the Galra forces have taken over the known universe. From what he can recall from all of the radio chatter he heard on Earth, the Galra in the area were looking for Voltron and more resources. “Our mission is to free all of those planets. Coran and I are getting the Castle ready to leave Arus. During that time, you have to learn to form Voltron, so we can begin fighting Zarkon.”

“The Princess is right. Let's get to our lions and start training,” Shirogane replies nodding to himself. Allura gives Shirogane a nod of approval. Hunk and Pidge look hesitantly at the room. Keith gives Shirogane a nod without looking at the others.

“You aren't going to ask us if we're okay with this? We're just going to be soldiers, now?” Lance says softly from his spot. Everyone turns to look at Lance.

“If we don't do this, the universe will be conquered by Zarkon!” Allura exclaims with disbelief. Lance shakes his head as he stands there.

“We're not soldiers,” Lance replies softly. “You are expecting us to become soldiers.” 

“I have to agree with Lance. Monday night we didn't expect to be out here in space fighting an evil alien,” Hunk voices, looking around the room with some trepidation. 

“We have to fight. If we don't there won't be an Earth to even return to,” Keith replies glancing at the team. Shirogane, Coran, and Allura take in the team as they talk. Lance glances down at his hands. “We're the only ones out here.”

“I know... however, would it be difficult for all of you to ask us how we feel about this?” Lance questions quietly. He clenches his hands as his gloves squeaked in protest. Lance's blue eyes turn towards the team. “A team cannot function without communication, and I feel that we're not communicating.” Lance closes his eyes for a brief moment.

“You do bring up a good point,” Coran states with his arms at his side, “The old Paladins of Voltron spent years talking and getting to know each other.”

“You'll have to do this I'm afraid,” Allura says softly. Lance sighs, nodding with understanding resigning to the upcoming fights.

“I want to speak with the prisoners we rescued from the Galra ship,” Pidge says in a stand-offish way. 

“They still need to recover in their cyro-repleinishers until tomorrow,” Coran explains. Pidge looks away frustrated. Lance walks over to them and puts a hand on their shoulder. Pidge glances up at Lance with a confused expression. 

Lance leans down to their ear, “call me when they get out? I have a few questions for them too.” Pidge nods as they both return their attention to Allura.

Allura nods, “That's right. Now, get to your lions and start practicing.”

****

Lance sits inside the Blue Lion quietly thinking to himself as the team waits for Hunk to show up. He has to admit that sometimes he feels eyes on him. Coran seems to be extra cautious about him. Lance sighs, this is going to be a long day. He's trained teams before. However, he has also been the one being trained so he knows. Teamwork isn't something that they're going to learn in one day. He scoffs quietly, at least they aren't as bad as they could be. The teamwork could have been worse, thankfully it wasn't. Blue nudges his mind, concerned. Lance sends Blue his feelings about this whole process. It would have been better if the team sat down for an hour and talked, then did some team-bonding exercises. Blue sends the feeling of understanding and tells him to come back to the hanger after the team-bonding. Lance nods with a faint smile.

“Hi, guys. Sorry, everybody. Seriously, though, can't they park these things, like, a little closer to the bridge?” Hunk exclaims sheepishly. 

“All right, guys. Let's just fly in tight formation until we're totally in sync,” Shirogane says while Allura pops up on their screens.

“Feel the bond with your lions and your fellow pilots until five become one unit and you form Voltron!” Allura says with excitement and a wide smile.

“I don't think it is working,” Hunk points out after a few unsuccessful fly arounds.

“How do we bond with our lions anyway?” Pidge questions blinking at their controls and the holographic screens showing the other members.

“No idea,” Keith replies, leaning back in his chair frustrated, “unless... nah that wouldn't work.”

“What wouldn't work?” Hunk questions curious. 

“Well, I was thinking of maybe building Voltron. However, that wouldn't make sense...right?” Keith inquires.

“It wouldn't work,” Lance replies, “if that was seriously the way to form Voltron it would have been how we formed it last time.”

“I agree with Lance on that,” Shirogane states calmly.

Allura pops up on one of the screens, “Sorry to interrupt, but I may be able to help. Yesterday, you weren't able to form Voltron until you were in the heat of battle.”

“What are you implying?” Lance inquires gripping his controls.

“You're right,” Shirogane agrees. Allura brightens as she pulls up her own holographic displays and clicks a few things.

“Perfect. Because I need to run a diagnostic test on all of the Castle’s defenses. This should help!” Allura says, smiling. Lance's eyes widen as he takes in the lasers and everyone else's reactions to the Castle firing at them. The team scrambles away from the lasers. 

“Whoa!” Hunk blurts out as he dodges another laser. 

“Allura! What are you doing?” Keith exclaims while flying the Red Lion into the air to dodge more lasers. 

“Running a diagnostic test on the Castle defenses and inspiring you! I believe in you, Paladins! Let fear be your guide! Form Voltron!” Allura replies happily. Lance shakes his head in slight amusement. Fear... Lance maneuvers his Lion around the lasers absently. Fear should not be feared because it can paralyze you when you need it to assist you instead. Lance learned long time ago to respect the fear but never to let it control him. He glances up at the screens as everyone continues dodging the lasers. This was not what Lance was expecting when Allura said to bond with the Lions and fellow Paladins. 

“Please stop! Please! Have mercy on us!” Hunk begs as he dodges a laser. Allura pops up on his screen.

“You think Zarkon is going to have mercy on you? He's probably on his way right now to destroy us all!” Allura replies while engaging the auto-lock-on systems. Lance rolls his eyes as that is the last thing the team hears before she disappears from view all together. 

“Well, what a nice day for dodging lasers,” Lance states with a pleasant smile, relaxed. He casually flies around the lasers in acrobatic spins and turns.

“How are you not panicking, Lance?” Hunk inquires as he jumps over a laser and flies around the columns. 

“About what exactly? The lasers?” Lance states calmly as he shots a laser with one of Blue's own and it cancels it out.

“...Lance, please take this seriously. Those lasers can kill us,” Hunk points out.

“How is this suppose to help us?” Pidge inquires jumping over a laser.

“No idea personally,” Keith states dodging his own lasers, “Shiro, I really don't think this is...” Keith grunts as a laser hits the Red Lion.

“Maybe something will happen,” Shirogane states optimistically. 

****

The team after a few hours of dodging lasers, see that it stops and decide to enter the castle. Lance watches as they walk off towards the common room. Lance walks to his room. Once inside, he locks the door and pulls out his communicator and checks for any messages or changes. Lance dials in the phone number for his family on Earth, hoping that it would go through. The communicator rings but after a while it cuts off like before. Lance sighs and pockets it once more. He closes his eyes as he breaths calmly. He can feel Keith, Hunk, and Pidge's energies in the common room. Shirogane is standing near his lion. Allura and Coran are somewhere else on the bridge working. Lance allows for the energy from the crystal and the planet reach his feet. He pulls the energy around his core and allows it to settle and infuse with his own quintessence. Lance moves the energy to his slightly numb left arm and tries to straighten out the dangerously coiled energies that run through it. He hisses as the energies are untangled and sends shivers down his arm. It isn't a painless process, healing the messed up energies. Lance gasps as he opens his eyes. He was never good at healing as his sister was. She really took after their parents. Lance clenches and unclenches his left hand, feeling for any numbing. Thankfully, the numbing disappears however, Lance knows it could always come back if he isn't careful. Lance takes one final deep breath, before walking out of his room and towards the common room. He takes in the scene of the others sitting in the common room. 

“How's everyone's mini break?” Lance questions as he walks inside the room and hops down into the couch.

“I don't think this method of training is going to get us to form Voltron,” Pidge points out from their spot, slouched over. Lance smiles softly, nodding.

“I can understand that feeling,” Lance replies. 

Hunk sighs, frowning, “We don't have a lot of time, but I can't feel anything. I don't even know what we're suppose to be feeling when we're piloting the lions.”

“Hmm...” Lance tries thinking about his own experience with Blue, “I think it might help if you could speak with your lion.”

“What do you mean? Speak with them?” Pidge inquires sitting up a bit.

“Well, do you remember how I told you that Blue sent images or ideas to my mind when we first got on Blue?” Lance states while leaning forward. 

“You did mention something like that,” Keith blurts out as he also leans forward, “but I don't think....”

“I get that, Kogane. Especially for Red, I can see you having some trouble with her. She seems to be very fickle and you might have to slowly learn how she'll communicate with you.” Lance states with a gentle smile. 

“How will I do that? We don't have a lot of time,” Keith points out, concerned.

“I'm not good at... you did something that caught Red's attention. Something that she liked because she allowed you to pilot her. Don't question. Feel,” Lance answers truthfully. Keith glances down at his fingerless gloves deep in thought. “For you, Pidge, Princess Allura said that Green is one that has an inquisitive personality. If you think about it, I think Green might like the fact that you get into everything. Try speaking to her about the technology we have back on Earth and she, in turn, might tell you about Altean tech. I know it's not much but it might help to get a conversation going.”

“Lance, I don't know if I have... I want to speak to the prisoners and...” Pidge stops themselves from finishing up the sentence. 

“There's time that you can't make go faster. Therefore, in the time it takes them to replenish in the cryo-pods, listen and learn from Green. She'll help make time fly by faster,” Lance says softly, looking Pidge straight in the eye.

“I'll think about it,” Pidge replies quietly, they take in Lance before turning away to think. Lance smiles widely and nods. He turns to Hunk, who looks so lost and out of his element. Lance scoots over to him and sits there quietly.

“Lance, I don't think I can do this,” Hunk replies so softly that Lance has to listen extra carefully. “I mean... I don't think I'm fit to be a pilot. I couldn't even make it to my Lion earlier. I'll just hold everyone back.”

“No, not true. Hunk, buddy. This is a group effort. I know that you aren't sure if you can do it, but I know that you are capable of it. You need to believe that you can,” Lance looks at his hands with a sad smile, “you are more capable of flying Yellow.”

“I'm scared, Lance. I'm scared of Zarkon, of space, of everything that we've seen so far and I don't....” Hunk gasps for air as he starts to breath heavily. Lance puts a hand on his tightly clenched hands. Hunk glances up at Lance. 

“Let's take this one step at a time. You don't have to worry about Zarkon right now. He isn't here,” Lance states calmly, “I know Princess Allura is adamant on telling us that he could be coming for us, but I need you to know that you can take all of this a bit slower. Lean on the rest of us if you have to. Talk with Yellow. He can help you process some of the crazy scary things. He can tell you about Altean stories and technology.” Hunk grabs Lance and pulls him into a tight hug. Lance blinks out in surprise before patting Hunk's back gently. Hunk lets go of Lance after a while and sits back thinking about things. Lance glances at the team and nods to himself before getting up. He doesn't want to bother them while they process what he said so he goes into a corner between two doors and sits on the ground cross-legged. Closing his eyes, he starts his usual breathing pattern. One of the doors open after some time, and two pairs of feet come walking inside. 

“Are we at full power on condenser number five yet?” Allura questions looking at her charts and sheets. Coran is standing next to her.

“No, still just 84 percent,” Coran replies just as the two notice the team sitting on the couch.

“You did it! You formed Voltron!” Allura assumes with a happy smile.

“No. The shooting stopped and the particle barrier shut down, so we just flew in,” Keith says looking up from his hands.

“What?”

“Oh, right. Uh, sorry, Princess. I had to turn off the Castle defenses to test the fire suppressors,” Coran says sheepishly as he rubs the back of his neck. Allura looks ready to blow a fuse, but that is diverted as Shirogane comes in from the other side.

“What are you guys doing in here? We're not taking a break,” Shirogane states calmly.

“Shiro's right. You should be training,” Allura says in agreement. Lance opens his eyes slowly as the glow disappears. He stays seated against the wall and glances up at her.

“The training that we were doing wasn't working. Having lasers aimlessly fire at us taught us to evade, not bond,” Lance points out quietly. Allura jumps slightly as she finally notices Lance in the corner. “What you want us to do is to form Voltron, but we can't do that because we haven't bonded with either the Lions, in which we're piloting, nor this ragtag group of people. Sure, Kogane, Pidge, Hunk and I know each other from being students on Earth; while Kogane and Pidge know Shirogane to an extent. We know almost absolutely nothing about each other,” Lance sits relaxed, looking at Shirogane and Allura. 

“The original paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side-by-side. They were like a pack of yalmors linked at the ears,” Coran states calmly, “they had time to get to know both their Lions and their fellow Paladins.” 

“That doesn't sound like us at all,” Pidge mutters crossing their arms.

“During the last attack, your survival instincts forced you to work as a team, but that will only get you so far. Lance, you make a very valid point. You'll have to become a real team to have any chance of forming Voltron and then beating Zarkon next time. You should try working out on the training deck,” Coran states with a grin.

“There's a training deck?” Hunk perks up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the kudos, comments, and feedback. I greatly appreciate it. If I missed someone's comment, I'm sorry I'll get to it I promise. 
> 
> Also, I was wondering if you guys wanted an appendix or notes on the universe I'm writing for this story? I can add some information that won't take away from the story if you guys want. Tell me what you guys think. 
> 
> Again, thank you for the continued support from both new readers and those that have stuck around since the first post! :D


	16. Voltron Formed

The team walks into the training deck with wide curious eyes. Above them, Coran stands in the observation deck. He picks up the microphone as the team moves to the center of the room. Lance glances up at Coran briefly before turning towards the room. It was a wide open space large enough that the five of them could run laps around it. Coran clears his throat.

“Two, two, one, two. Okay, listen up, guys. The paladin code demands you put your team members' safety above your own. A swarm of drones is about to attack.” Coran states as the drones appear from the ground. Lance licks his lips as he activates his shield. The team backs up into a circle as the drones circle them like birds of prey. Everyone's shields appear on their arms. “It's up to each of you to do everything you can to protect the other members of your team.” The team tries to block the incoming attacks. However, in protecting themselves some of the lasers hit their teammates from behind. Lance tries to keep blocking while Pidge and Hunk disappear underground. The lasers are energy that Lance tries to track with his mind. It has been a while since he has had actual lasers shooting at him. He blocks a few going for Keith's leg. Lance feels Keith and Shirogane blocking the lasers as well. 

“McClain! You still holding up?” Keith says over his shoulder. Lance grunts pushing Keith down, out of the way of a laser.

“If you mean to say that saving your head is holding up, then yeah.” Lance replies pulling Keith back up. Keith pulls Lance back and moves his shield to block a laser heading towards Lance's chest.

“You sure? Look like you're losing concentration.” Keith states with a smug smile. Lance rolls his eyes, amused as he blocks more lasers. Shirogane has a small smile on face as he continues the exercise. 

“If you two have time to snipe comments at each other then you have time to block every laser without missing.” Shirogane states calmly. Coran watches from his position as the three of them continue the training. Pidge and Hunk walk into the room and stand next to Coran watching the exercise.

“How long have they been at it, Coran?” Pidge inquires with their right hand pushing up their glasses. Coran checks his timer.

“About ten dobashes.” Coran replies as he studies Lance carefully. It was strange. Lance has not shown signs of his glowing eyes since that one time. Was Coran merely hallucinating that Lance's eyes glowed? As if sensing his stare, Lance's attention snaps up for a brief second, making contact with Coran's. The weight of Lance's brief stare was heavy. Like if Coran stared long enough, Lance could see into his soul. Know things that would make him uncomfortable. That brief second costs Lance his ability to respond quick enough to a laser making him fall through the ground. 

As the darkness encloses around him, Lance stays still breathing in deep breaths as he calms his beating heart. In that brief second that Lance made eye contact, he saw a younger Coran standing instead. A Coran that he met all those years ago. The one that showed him around Altea on his first diplomatic mission as one of the Representatives of Vaoria.

_“I was told that the Representatives of Vaoria were young, but I wasn't expecting children...” A young Coran stated in surprise as he stared at the two Vaorians._

_“We may be young, but it does nothing to show of our intelligence.” Lance replied calmly. A young Assane stood next to Lance in her dark navy blue suit. There were metals adorning her sleeves and chest. Lance was in a similar uniform._

_“So young still. You may be here as a diplomat but you both hold ranks in the Vaorian Forces.” Coran points out as they walked through the many halls of Altea._

_“...I suppose. We're fighting in a war, Sir Coran. Vaoria is one of the many planets fighting against the Empire.” Lance said while glancing at the different architectures. “It's not like Vaoria wishes to have their children fight the war, but to survive we are taught to fight young. We aren't as large as Altea in terms of population.”_

_“Vaoria has much confidence in the two of you,” Coran said softly, “if they sent you two to us.”_

Lance shakes his head, clearing the memory. Right, he has to focus. The past is in the past. He pulls himself out and reports up to the training deck once he realizes that Keith and Shirogane also failed. Coran takes them onto the next exercise to which they fail miserably. Lance leans against a wall, replaying the exercise of the maze in his mind. Trust is hard to earn. Lance himself is a bit hesitant to trust them even though he knows he will have to if they are to form Voltron. 

As Coran tells them to get into their lions, Lance pets the side of Blue with fondness. Blue rumbles in his mind as if purring with trust. Lance straps himself inside Blue and takes a deep breath. He tries to sync up his breathing with Blue's own. Lance hears Coran speaking, slightly detached from his own surroundings.

“You'll never be able to form Voltron unless each of you has a strong bond with his lion.”

“That means, Blue and I will be alright. We're best buds after all.” Lance replies with a small smile as Blue purrs into his mind.

“Perfect! Then you'll have no problems with this exercise. Everyone, put your lions into a nosedive!” Coran exclaims excitedly. Lance pushes the controls forward with excitement bubbling in his stomach. Blue feeling his excitement purrs in her own excitement. “This is an expert-level drill that you really shouldn't attempt until you've been flying for years, but uh, we're in a bit of a rush, so here we go. Activating training helmets!”

Lance hears the others' surprise at the blackout. Lance unconsciously pulls into his own minds eye. His training as a Vaorian Warrior comes handy. He feels the world's energy around him as Blue assists in showing him what she sees. Lance gasps out in awe as he feels Blue enveloping around him protectively. Her eyes are being shown to him as the trust she feels in him is reciprocated by Lance's own trust in her powerful might and majesty. The landscape fans out in front of him as their vision is combined; his feeling of the energies and her sight and touch. Throughout all of that, Coran is relaying information to the other paladins.

“You must learn to see through your lion's eyes. The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the lion feels!” Coran exclaims as he continues his watch. He sees how Hunk pulls up early. How Keith pushes his lion against Lance's and ends up face first in the dirt. Coran notices how Lance pulls his lion up at the very last possible minute. Pidge pulls away at the sound of the crash. Shirogane continues his descent to the ground. Shirogane begins to show signs of the trust.

“I think I'm getting this.” Shirogane states as he begins to see what Black sees. Coran gives him a praise. Lance hands over the controls to Blue, trusting her to pilot their course. Lance pulls off his helmet and sets it down on the side of his chair. Lance pulls out his communicator device and begins to input his own thoughts on the teams current achievements and skills. Lance puts the device down into his lap after a few minutes. Muting his microphone, he leans back against his chair. 

“Blue... I have a question.” Lance states as he fidgets with his hands. Blue purrs into his mind. “Can I possibly pilot you without touching the controls?” Blue sends him a question mark and to prompt him to continue his thoughts. “I mean, right now you are in control. You took in control before. I've seen it. Felt it. If I trust you enough and you trust me, could it not be possible to let our minds touch?” Blue sends him images of the controls moving without his hands on them and she not doing anything, but floating protectively over him as during the training. “Yeah. Surely, a thought is a quicker reaction than if I were to actively control you through the controls.” Blue sends him images of having to test it out and lots of practice, but not discouraging him from trying. Lance smiles as he receives her messages. “We should work on better communication between us as well.” Blue sends him a warm feeling. Acknowledgement. “These two things should be something we do later, in secret for now.” Blue purrs affectionately as the team flies back to the castle for their next exercise. 

****

The team returns to the training deck. Lance bites his inner cheek as the team sits down in a circle. A feeling of dread fills his stomach as he stares at the device sitting on the ground. After putting the device on, Coran's voice echoes around them as he begins the next exercise.

“Now the most important part of paladin training is being able to meld your minds and focus on one thing: Voltron. Everything else has to fade away. This technique will be essential every time you form Voltron. So, relax and open your mind. No walls, no secrets between paladins.” 

Lance closed his eyes focusing on Voltron. He could feel the others moving through his mind. Usually, meditating on one thought would be easy, but the thought of people being able to see into his mind was daunting. So as a defense, his mind would drift to more safe thoughts. Thoughts about his two families both on Earth and Vaoria, of the ocean and its various wildlife. He could see and feel Pidge's worry about the person in their thoughts. 

“Come on, everyone, clear everything.” Coran exclaims as the team all try to reorient their thoughts to the goal. “Now, focus on forming your lion. Bring your lions together and – and form Voltron! Keep your minds open, work together. Good! Keep focusing! Only one to go!” Lance feels Shirogane shifting through his mind.

“Pidge, stop thinking of your girlfriend!” Keith says out angrily. Lance feels Shirogane's presence jerk at a memory inside his head. Lance hisses quietly at the whiplash that Shirogane's presence made at being startled by both memory and Keith.

“I wasn't! Hunk was rooting around in my head!” Pidge yells out agitated. Shirogane opens his eyes to glance over at Lance, concerned. Lance blinks, trying to get his mind back into order as the memory begins to fight out of it's compartment. 

“I thought we were open. You can look in my head hole.” Hunk replies with a shrug of his shoulders. Coran sighs as he rubs the bridge of his nose.

“Everyone has to be able to look in everyone's head holes! Clear your minds! Good! Almost there. Now, form Voltron. Yes!” Coran yells as the lions all come together to form Voltron. At the last minute, the focus breaks as Pidge is unable to continue. Lance quietly inhales as the memory of a planet being destroyed barrels to the forefront of his mind. 

“Pidge!” Keith yells out as Pidge takes off the device and throws it down.

“I'm done with this! Look, I don't like everyone grubbing around in my head!” Pidge replies while crossing their arms.

“Oh, come on, Pidge, we're starting to get the hang of this.” Shirogane states with a gentle tone. Lance sits back, bitting his inner cheek.

“Actually, I'm tired too. Can we take a break?” Lance inquires softly as mixed emotions overwhelm him. Memories that Lance had compartmentalized were coming to the surface in waves as the rock wall that was holding them back was loosened by Shirogane's probing. He could barely hear what everyone was saying, like he was submerged underwater looking up at the surface. 

“Okay. Let's take a break.” Shirogane replies as he gives Pidge an understanding smile. Lance gets up and goes to sit down next to Hunk. He closes his eyes, not seeing Hunk's glance down at him. Lance takes a deep breath and focuses on trying to move the memories of his past battles back into the background. He wants to lock them away again. Coran begins to pass out juice pouches to the paladins. Coran stops at Lance after handing everyone theirs. He kneels down and lays a gentle hand on Lance's shoulder, bringing Lance from his thoughts. Lance turns his head up to focus on Coran. Coran hands him the juice pouch.

“Are you alright, Lance?” Coran questions while Lance takes the juice pouch and stab it with the straw. Lance smiles tiredly.

“I'm alright, Coran. All of this is quite a lot to take in. Not to mention that we've been trying to form Voltron since this morning.” Lance replies before siping on the juice box. Coran nods in understanding. He gets back on his feet and leave Lance to his thoughts. Though, Lance does feel Coran's eyes occasionally landing on him as if he was trying to figure something out. The doors slide open as Allura comes in, frown etched onto her face.

“What are you doing lying around? You're supposed to be training!” Allura exclaims out. Coran gives her a sheepish smile.

“Just resting a bit. You know, you can't push too hard.” Coran answers softly. Hunk and the others look sheepish as well. Lance blinks as he tries to reign in his own memories. Allura feels further away than Coran was. Lance stands up abruptly, trying to remove the layer of memories that are moving angrily around his mind. His first mission as a rebel fighter to his second birthday, to the destruction of the Planet Altea. Coran's attention snaps over to Lance. His complexation has paled a bit. Lance takes a deep breath and forcefully shoves the memories away, making him stumble forward at the lost of balance. When Lance finally comes back aware of his surroundings, the entire room is staring at him in varying degrees of concern. “Lance?”

“I'm sorry. I'm alright. Princess, you were about to say something.” Lance states as he straightens up. Allura nods slowly, taking in Lance's appearance, confused. 

“Of course. Paladins, it's time you faced the Gladiator!” Allura states while giving Lance a few looks. Coran and Allura head up to the control room to oversee the training. Coran keeps an eye on Lance as the team gets into position. Lance glances up at the Gladiator that comes into the room from the floor. 

“In order to defeat the Gladiator, five paladins must fight as one.” Coran explains to the team as the Gladiator starts to run at them. Hunk yells as he shoots at it. Lance stays off to the side watching the Gladiator's movement; occasionally sending shots from his assault rifle at it, covering the team. The Gladiator sends Hunk flying across the room. Lance grits his jaw as he moves. Pidge gets sent into Keith, making a pile of moving limbs. Shirogane moves to attack the Gladiator with his hand-to-hand combat. Shirogane manages to keep up with the Gladiator for a few minutes, trading blows. Lance's eyes scan the entire room to see that Hunk and Pidge still have yet to get back up, while Keith has managed to unravel himself from the pile of limbs. Lance feels Shirogane tense up before he actually sees him freezing. Keith's presence has moved quickly from his former position as he goes to block the sword that was coming down on Shirogane. 

“Shiro, are you okay?” Keith yells over his shoulder at Shirogane. Lance's eyes widen as a pile of rocks plummet to the bottom of his stomach. Lance sprints at full speed over to them just before the Gladiator could get in the second hit. Lance braces himself with his legs spread shoulder length apart for balance. His rifle blocking the blade. Lance groans under the pressure that the Gladiator gives. Keith stares up at Lance in surprise. 

“He's having an episode, flashback!” Lance yells without turning around. “Get him to breath and ground him here and now!” Keith looks at Shirogane with hesitation, unsure of what to actually do. Lance takes a quick moment to locate Hunk. “HUNK!” Hunk jumps up startled. He turns to Lance as Lance hits the Gladiator with his rifle. “Shirogane, needs help!” Hunk turns to Shirogane and understands immediately. Hunk stands up and rushes over to Shirogane and Keith. While Hunk runs through some quick breathing techniques with Shirogane, Lance grunts as the Gladiator punches him in the gut. Lance steps back bracing for impact against the Gladiator's next punch. Lance breathes heavily as he hears echoes of people screaming in his ears. Lance drops his bayard and pulls out two of his silver needles from his leg pouch while extending them with his own Quintessence into two sharp daggers. Lance stabs continuously at the Gladiator, detached as his own memories of fighting the Galra bubble to the surface. Lance stops as the Gladiator stops underneath him. His labored breathing sound loud even in his own ears. 

“..ance? Lance?” Pidge questions, slowly as if not to spook him. Lance turns slowly towards them, daggers in hand. He blinks confused.

“Oh...Fusik...Pidge...” Lance answers softly; his daggers return to their needle shapes. He takes in the room and sees the rest of them staring at him with wide eyes. He takes a nervous glance down at the Gladiator. The robot is unrecognizable and sparks are flying from every angle that they look at. Coran and Allura are standing next to the rest of the team, quiet. “Right, um...”

“I think... we should call for a food break...” Coran states into the silence of the room. Lance gets up from the broken Gladiator with unsteady legs. The team gradually exits the room, leaving Lance, Hunk and Coran behind. Hunk steadies Lance with hands on his shoulders. Lance takes an unsteady deep breath. 

“Lance, you want to talk about it?” Hunk inquires gently. Lance doesn't look at him, and keeps his focus on breathing. Hunk's energy, presence is warm even with the hint of fear radiating off of him. Coran's presence is stable like a foundation holding up the team. It reminds Lance of his two fathers. 

“I... I...” Lance stops and licks his lips nervously. Hunk gives him a sad smile and pulls him into a huge tight bear hug. Lance stiffens in his arms for a brief moment before relaxing.

“You don't have to, but know that we're here for you.” Hunk states calmly while Coran lays a hand on Lance's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Lance nods slowly into Hunk's chest.

“I'm sorry. I just need some time to think about everything.” Lance answers quietly. Hunk lets go of Lance and steps back. Lance puts the two silver needles back into his leg pouch.

“Hey, take your time. You've been trying your best with everyone and I don't think we've tried enough to help you too.” Hunk says with a sheepish smile. Lance chuckles with a small smile. 

“It's alright, Hunk. You are dealing with so much too.” Lance turns to Coran. “And I don't think we've given you or the Princess our condolences.” 

“I... thank you for your words, Lance.” Coran gives him a pat on the back. “We should not keep the rest of the team waiting.” Coran ushers both of them out of the room. “Nutrition is important for growing humans from what I recall.” Lance nods but the energies around him, the quintessence that each of them have are shaken. Lance feels Coran's energy shimmer at his words. Lance remains silent as the three of them head off to the dining room. He feels everyone else's energies as they get closer to the room. Shirogane's is still reeling from his own panic attack; there's even a hint of caution oozing off of him. Pidge's energy is like a force field around them, leaving Lance feeling like his outburst scared them more than they wanted to let on. For Keith, the energy curling around him is nervous, bursting almost at the seams. Lance can't help but feel that he might have crushed something important. Allura's energy is the one that surprises Lance most. Her's is all concern, a slight fear, and something similar to awe.

“I'll be back.” Coran says leaving the room. The others are all sitting in the chairs available to them. Hunk moves to sit down in his own chair. Lance quietly makes his way over to the chair. An unbearable silence envelopes them as they wait for Coran to come back. There are varying degrees of exhaustion and frustration floating around the room. Lance releases a tired breath as he closes his eyes and bowing his head. Hunk glances at everyone, taking in their appearances. Before Hunk could say anything, Coran comes back in with a plate of food. “Ahoy, young Paladins! I've whipped up a big batch of focusing food. After this meal, you'll be forming Voltron six times a movement and twice on the astral conflux!” Shirogane smiles up at Coran tiredly. 

“It smells great, Coran. Thanks.” Shirogane says moving to get some food. Lance doesn't even try to move as Coran puts them all in magical cuffs. 

“What!” Hunk exclaims as Coran pulls at his mustache. 

“I saw a lot of solid individual performances today, but you're still struggling to work as a team. So, welcome to the final bonding exercise of the day.” Coran says with an encouraging smile. Hunk gives Coran a heavy look.

“Coran, I want you to think about what you're doing.” Hunk threatens evenly. Coran continues to smile pleasantly watching the team.

“This one's a classic. You get to feed each other, like a pack of yalmors!” 

Lance resigns himself to his fate as he sits there quietly, shifting through his own thoughts. He can feel Shirogane's own resignation at the current situation next to him. Lance watches the team with a detached consciousness as they start having trouble with feeding themselves.

“This is ridiculous!” Keith exclaims as he pounds the table. Allura looks like she wants to punch something out of frustration.

“It's not like I'm trying to make your life miserable, Keith.” Pidge states while tugging on the cuffs. 

“Do Earthlings ever stop complaining?” Allura states annoyed. Shirogane sighs as he focuses his attention on Allura. 

“Can't you just give us a break? Everyone's been working really hard today.” Shirogane says, hoping to get a message across to her. 

“Yeah! We're not some prisoners for you to toy with, like... like...” Keith trails off trying to come up with something.

“Like a bunch of toy prisoners!” Pidge blurts out, looking like they want to stomp out of the room.

“Yes! Thank you, Pidge!”

“You do not yell at the Princess!” Coran commands back with a hint of anger in his eyes. Lance sighs as he wishing for a hand to actually face-palm himself. Maybe he could just face plant his face into the table? Would that knock him out?

“Oh, the princess of what? We're the only ones out here and she's no princess of ours!” Pidge exclaims out angrily. Lance drops his face into the table as Allura throws food at Pidge's face. Pidge groans while Coran looks on in concern at Allura. Keith looks at Allura with a smug smile. 

“Go loose, Pidge!” Keith grabs the plate of food and flings it in Allura's direction to which Coran blocks with a towel and in retaliation throws a spoonful of food back hitting all of them except for Lance who's head is still down on the table. Hunk smirks as he licks his lips with excitement.

“Oh, it's on now.” Hunk plunges his face into his plate before aiming his food cannon at Allura and Coran. The team begins their food fight against Allura and Coran. Lance lifts his head up and smiles tiredly. So now they work as a team. Lance allows for Hunk and Shirogane to move his hands to fling more food at Allura and Coran. Occasionally, Lance would send a missile of food at Allura and Coran hitting them in high targeted places. After a long while, the team is laughing brightly. Lance chuckles softly. Allura smiles brightly at them.

“This is great! You're finally working together as one!” Allura exclaims with excitement. The team shares a glance as their smiles get wider.

“Hey, she's right!” Keith says with his own excitement bubbling up. The team runs out to quickly clean up and head off to their lions. Once they're all outside of the castle, Shirogane looks at the holographic screens showing the entire team.

“Everyone ready to do this?” Shirogane questions as his hands grip the controls. 

“Roger that!” Pidge replies on their screen. Lance gives Shirogane an affirmative nod. 

“Yes, sir!” Keith answers with a smile.

“I was born ready!” Hunk exclaims, earning a smile from Lance.

“Then let's go!” Shirogane states proudly as the lions begin their transformation into Voltron. Allura and Coran are on the bridge, watching the team proudly.

“I told you I could get them to do it. They just needed a common enemy.” Allura says softly. Coran smiles gently next to her.

“That you did, Princess. That you did.”

The team comes back into the castle with wide smiles. Lance follows them with a proud tired smile. 

“I just want you to know that I realized when we were in Voltron, we're brothers, man. You know? Like, we're totally connected. No secrets, no barriers, no nothing. Brothers all the way. I love you guys.” Hunk states still smiling. Keith glances up at him with a sheepish smile. Lance's smile disappears slightly at Hunk's statement.

“G-forces mess with your head a little bit?” Keith questions as Hunk smiles sheepishly in return.

“Yeah, maybe a little. I don't know, man. It's been a tough few days.” Hunk shrugs. Pidge starts to head down the hall. 

“Going to bed, Pidge?” Shirogane inquires with a small smile. 

“In a minute.” Pidge replies, pushing up their glasses. Shirogane looks at the team proudly.

“Good work today. We're really coming together.” The team nod as before heading off in their own directions. Lance watches as they all work off, before turning on his heels and returning to the lion hangers. He stops in front of Blue and gives her a small smile.

“Hey, beautiful. You wanted to speak to me right?” Lance says softly as Blue brings down her head and opens her mouth, granting Lance access to the cockpit. Her presence wraps around Lance protectively as Lance sits down in the chair. She sends him images of bed and the blankets. Lance gives Blue a really small smile. “I am tired, but... I'm more worried than anything.” Blue sends him an image of a question mark. “During the mind melding exercise, Shirogane managed to knock a rock out of place and it created a landslide of memories.” Blue sends him waves of calming energy while urging him to continue talking. “I'm not blaming him for it cause its not like he knew. I figured something like this would happen eventually since I've been triggered before.” Lance curls up on the seat silent, while Blue continues to be a constant presence beside him. “I think I managed to scare them all.” Blue's presence nudges him gently. “I lost it. Got lost in my memories and it took over. That hasn't happened in a long time, Blue.” Lance closes his eyes tightly, hugging himself. “I'm keeping secrets from all of them. I'm surprised I managed to hide it during the mind melding and forming Voltron.” Blue envelops Lance in a warm embrace. She sends him images of him being alright and her standing by him. Lance nods slowly. Blue sends him an image of him using the communicator to call home once more. Lance perks up but looks away dejected. “I can't connect it. There's something missing that I don't understand and it won't connect.” Blue sends him images after images of him trying again and again. Him rising up time and time again. Blue urges Lance to try and then get some sleep. “Alright, I get it. I'll try.” Lance gets up and pats Blue, lovingly as he leaves the cockpit. As he passes the other lions, Lance says his good nights. 

Lance walk through the quiet halls towards his room. His mind shifting the memories that have spilled out into more manageable stacks in his own mind. Once he arrives in his room, he locks the door behind him and goes looking for his jacket. He pulls out the communicator and dials the number hesitantly. Lance closes his eyes as he listens to the rings. The line cuts. Lance licks his lips as he opens his eyes tiredly, blinking slowly, and shaking his head. The silence of the room contrasts loudly with the memories floating in his head. The room is still dark with only the little strips of light illuminating the room. Lance leans against the wall facing his bed and slides down to the ground. His communicator sits heavily in his hand. Lance tilts his head back against the cold wall and take in the silence, breathing in and exhaling evenly. After some time, Lance gets up and changes into more comfortable sleeping clothes for the night. He leaves the communicator next to his pillow; hoping that it would ring during the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments, and kudos. It makes my day reading them. Also thanks for your continued support!
> 
> There are more little things in the series! Go and check them out! :D


	17. What can memories do to a person?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... hello hello again! First off... I got a bit carried away with this chapter since the next chapter has my favorite scene in it so oops... Also, I know people have been asking about what the Vaorian salute looks like so hope you guys can spot it and fully understand the salute itself! Now I hope all of you enjoy the almost 8k word creative vomit! :P

_“Lance! What is happening?” Assane questions loudly over the sound of explosions. Lance keeps an arm wrapped around her shoulder as he peaks over the overturned table. She tugs on his uniform urgently. There were Alteans screaming as they ran away from the source of the explosions. “Lance!”_

_“Shhh...Assane. I think it's the Galra.” Lance says softly. He notices the Galra ahead and ducks down behind the table._

_“Lance, we can't leave the Alteans to defend themselves. They're our allies.” Assane states calmly, staring at Lance as he pulls out some silver needles. Assane's eyes widen in surprise. “You brought those with you? The Alteans could have seen it as an act of war!” Lance gives Assane a raised eyebrow._

_“Assane, we're in war. I will not go into any situation unarmed.” Lance replies while pouring energy into the needles which morphs them into daggers instead. “Look, these are innocent Alteans getting killed by the Galra. We will help those we can. Now is the time to use those skills, Assane.” He reaches into his uniform and pull out a small energy pistol and hands it to her. “I'll cover you. Get them out of here.” Assane nods as she takes the pistol in hand. Lance vaults over the table and begins to run at the Galra forces._

Sitting up abruptly, Lance glances around the room and remembers. His paladin uniform is on the hanger along with his leg strap. Lance sighs as he rubs his eyes tiredly. Gods, that dream again. Lance swings his legs over the side of the bed and gets up. He glances at the clock and sighs again. It's not even three in the morning. He changes into his casual clothes, grabbing his leg strap that holds his needles and the black stick and attaches it to his leg. He'll change into his uniform when people are actually awake. He turns to his bed and sees the communicator sitting there. He picks it up and dials the numbers once more. Waiting. It rings a few times. Click. Dead. Nothing. Lance sighs before stuffing it into his jacket pocket. 

Lance walks out of his room and starts to wander through the halls. He updates his mental map of the castle. Allura mentioned that the castle was still being brought online, so it's a ship of sorts. Lance taps into the energy that is flowing through the castle from the crystal on the bridge. Hunk's presence is in his room along with Shirogane and Keith's. Pidge, however, is still with the rescued prisoners and the pods. Allura and Coran are sleeping in their own rooms as well. Lance takes this chance to run his hands along the castle walls. Lance allows for himself to seep into the essence of energy that comes from the crystal. He can feel the crystal constantly collecting energy for the castle ship. Lance removes himself from it unless he wishes to harm himself in the process. Lance continues on his quiet stroll through the castle ship. Lance laughs quietly to himself. He use to walk through the halls at night when he was fighting with the Rebel Forces. Sleep never came easy to him, unless he felt utterly safe or was too tired to care. Lance perks up as something reaches his ears from behind him. He hugs the wall as the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Walking past him is Coran. He looks to be deep in thought as he walks past him. Lance watches him with a tilt of his head. As Lance moves away from the wall, Coran spins on his heels and pushes Lance against the wall quickly. Lance blinks in surprise as a cold blade is pressed up against his neck. Coran stares at Lance, confused.

“Lance?” Coran whispers out while stepping away from him. “What are you doing awake, my boy?”

“I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd take a walk to clear my mind.” Lance said with a shrug, “I didn't even see you move, Coran.”

“Then, why hide in the shadows?” Coran inquires while sheathing his blade into some random place on his body. Lance glances at Coran's hand, confused on where the blade went.

“Um...” Lance shrugs hopelessly. It's not like Lance really thought about why he has a natural tendency to hide. Coran gives him a look, that Lance is pretty sure means that he doesn't believe his flimsy excuse. 

“Who are you, Lance? You have battlefield experience quite similar to Shiro or that of a soldier.” Coran states out calmly. Coran's stare is intense and it makes Lance slightly uncomfortable. 

“I'm just Lance from Earth. And I went to some training camps when I was young.” Lance answers nonchalantly, he knows he's giving Coran a half truth. Coran's eyes focus on his blue ones. Lance refrains from showing signs of his nervousness. “My father use to be part of the military and as one of the older children in the house, I am to help protect the family.” 

“I see. Do try to get some sleep before today's training, Lance.” Coran says with concern. Lance gives him a nod as Coran continues on his walk. Lance waits for a few beats before turning on his heels and quickly walking back to his own room. His heart is pounding with nervousness and anxiety. Shoots a turd in the foot. Lance pulls at his hair as he paces around his room. Coran is definitely onto him, otherwise, he already suspects that something is different about him. 

“Shiena! Fusik!” Lance curses as he continues treading back and forth. Maybe if he keeps it up, he'll just fall through the floor. Lance takes a deep breath and tries to calm his beating heart. The next time Lance glances at the clock, it takes him a few minutes to realize that so many hours have passed. Lance quickly throws off his clothes so he can get into his paladin uniform. He straps the leg strap to his leg and grabs the helmet as he leaves the room.

****

Lance and the team start their morning training on forming and controlling Voltron. They work through some techniques and movement refinement. It is a bit difficult to calculate the space in which Voltron takes up. After a few hours, the team returns to the Castle. 

“Great job everyone. We're really getting the hang of Voltron.” Shirogane states calmly, patting Hunk and Pidge on the back and shoulders. Keith smiles as they continue walking down the hallway. Lance remains silent as he gives them a small tired smile. 

“Hunk, I can't believe you managed to pivot Voltron's leg like that.” Pidge exclaims with excitement. Hunk blushes slightly at the praise. 

“Ah, that was nothing. Lance's ability to balance everything was what truly kept Voltron up.” Hunk replies softly. 

“Nah, you did good matching the balance yourself, Hunk. I barely touched it.” Lance replies as he lays a hand on Hunk's arm. “You're doing great.”

“Alright, guys! Let's save the rest of your energy for later.” Shirogane says while they run into Coran. Lance blinks and mentally catches himself before he tenses up. 

“Hello, guys! How was the Voltron workout?”

“We're getting there. Are you and Allura almost done fixing the Castle so we can leave this planet? I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus.” Shirogane states calmly as the team follows Coran to the dinning room. Lance takes note that Pidge quietly sneaks away from the rest of the team. 

“Just about. In the meantime, to get your minds off those ducks seats you're worried about,” Lance snickers softly when Coran misses the idea behind sitting ducks, “I made you guys an authentic ancient paladin lunch!” Coran continues without pause. Coran lays the food down on the table as the team groans at the food. Lance has to blink at the dish briefly as he decides whether or not it was better to eat it or not. Hunk turns to look at Coran with a frown.

“Coran, you just got me hooked on that goo and now you're switching it up?” Hunk questions as he pokes at the food. 

“This is packed with nutrients.” Coran explains. Lance sighs into his hand as he sits quietly at the table. He can tell that Shirogane is not feeling the food along with Keith. 

“Oh, it smells disgusting!” Hunk points out as he holds his nose. Coran sniffs it and gives them a huge smile. 

“I know! That's how you know it's healthy!”

“Coran, we're on a planet now with fresh herbs, spices, and whatever this thing is. A tuber? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to the kitchen and spice things up.” Hunk states as he gets up and leaves the room. Shirogane glances around the room.

“Where's Pidge?”

“He's probably checking on those prisoners we rescued from Zarkon. They'll all be waking soon in the infirmary,” Coran says while scooping up some of the food and moving it towards Shirogane's mouth, “Open the hatch. Food lion coming in!”

Shirogane groans, “No. Just... no.” Shirogane gets up and leaves the room. Keith gets up and heads off towards the training deck.

“You don't know what you're missing!” Coran yells after them, before his shoulders slump defeated. Lance watches as Coran stares at the food he made with sad eyes. Lance picks up a spoon slowly and scoops some up. Quickly without second thought, Lance puts the spoon in his mouth. Coran stares at him shocked and surprised. Lance chews on it slowly, tasting the food. 

“This... is an ancient paladin lunch?” Lance inquires as he finishes chewing it very slowly. Coran looks to be on the verge of tears. If Lance is truthful, it tastes like that one Altean meal that he was given on his second diplomatic mission to Altea. The smell is still as horrible as he remembers though. And if he ate it too fast, the textures would probably be a bit much to eat.

“Yes. I remember cooking it for them when they had some downtime.” Coran responds softly as he takes a seat in one of the chairs.

“The smell is a bit overwhelming, but it doesn't seem to taste as bad as it smells.” Lance states as he scoops up another spoonful. Coran gives Lance an appreciative smile. 

“You don't have to eat it, Lance.” 

“Nonsense, you went through the trouble to cook it. I should at least have some.” Lance replies while chewing on the food. “Though, maybe next time you could find a way to mask the smell with some other herbs? Unless that takes away from the overall dish then you can just ignore it.”

“Lance, my boy, you do not seem as adverse to eating Altean food as the others.” Coran states while putting his hands together. 

“I'm not that picky of an eater. At least I don't think so.” Lance answers truthfully. He might make a face at the food that is served but he'll eat what he can get since there were missions where there weren't any food around to eat. Unless he counts the bugs... which he would rather not all together. Allura comes into the room and smiles at Coran.

“They like the paladin lunch!” Allura exclaims excitedly. Her eyes brighten at the prospect. Coran gives her a small smile.

“I don't want to talk about it.” Coran states while giving Lance a sided eye wink. Lance shakes his head smiling, amused.

“I just got the final nebulon booster working. We should be able to leave Planet Arus tomorrow and take the fight to Zarkon.” Allura informs Coran. 

“That is good news, Princess.” Coran answers as he stands up from his chair. Lance turns to watch them both as he continues to munch on the food. Coran waves to Lance as the two of the start to head off. The alarms start blaring as Lance drops his spoon and snaps up quickly. Coran and Allura look at each other before quickly walking to the bridge. Lance follows after them, his hand relaxed near his leg strap. They enter the bridge and pull up the screens. Keith and Hunk walks in a few minutes after they arrived. They congregate around the screen watching as a being tries to sneakily make their way towards the castle. 

“What is that?” Keith questions, staring intently at the alien. 

“It's an alien, a cute little alien... with a sword.” Lance deadpans calmly. Hunk turns to look at Lance with a tilt of his head.

“Oh, you were being serious. I mean he does look cute.” Hunk replies. 

“I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a local Arusian.” Allura says softly, “He's approaching the Castle.”

“We're going to meet with him right?” Lance questions as he leans back on his heels. 

“Yes. Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them.” Allura states as she turns on her heels and goes to the entrance. Keith stares at the image briefly before walking after the group.

“I'm not taking any chances.” Keith says softly, pulling out his bayard. Lance glances at the bayard out of the corner of his eyes. Lance puts a hand on Keith's shoulder, pulling him from his one track mindset. 

“Hey, it's going to be fine. Between the two of us, that alien won't be able to hurt us.” Lance states calmly. Keith nods slowly as if trying to believe what Lance says. “Plus, worse comes to worse, I'll just tickle the alien to death.” Keith shoves Lance lightly.

“Can't you be serious, McClain.” Keith says as he crosses his arms. Lance smiles easily.

“If I'm always serious, the Castle would sink into the land.” Lance replies as he gives Keith one last pat on the back. “Plus, no one really wants to see me serious.” Keith perks up as his eyes scrunch together at Lance's last comment. Lance walks a bit faster to catch up with Hunk. “My man! What do you think about the little adorable alien?” Keith's attention stays focused on Lance as he wraps an arm around Hunk's huge arm.

“The alien has to be a soldier or I guess a warrior would make more sense with the type of weapon he's carrying.” Hunk points out as they continue their walk. “He's cute. I wonder if the entire species is like that? Small and round-like.” Lance smiles widely, on the edge of mischievous. 

“Oooh, I wonder what they do for fun since they're so cute and round.” Lance states as he continues to walk. “Princess, Coran, question.”

“Yes, Lance?” Allura inquires. 

“How will these little guys help with the war, exactly? If that sword is the type of weapons that they have, I don't believe they'll be able to help with the war efforts.” Lance points out, as his hands move animately, trying to paint the picture. 

“We don't have to have them fight. They might be able to provide other things.” Allura explains. 

“I believe them being free from Zarkon's control is good as well.” Coran points out softly. Lance hums as they arrive at the entrance of the castle. Allura walks out of the doorway. Lance could hear the alien screaming out in shock and the quick scurrying.

“Greetings. We know you're there. No harm will come to you.” Allura states calmly as she leans over to try to see the alien. He comes out slowly, just as Keith extends his bayard. Lance smacks his face with his hand as both of them are now on their guard. 

“Wait! He could be dangerous. Drop your weapon!” Keith says, alert. 

“Keith, put that away! Please, kind sir, accept my most humble apologies.” Allura states with a small smile. Lance puts a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder. Keith turns to look at him. Lance gives him a small smile, which eases the tension from Keith's shoulders. 

“Huh? I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers.” Klaizap states calmly at Allura.

“Followers?” Coran questions, pulling gently on his mustache. 

“Lion Goddess?” Hunk inquires softly.

“What makes you think she's angered?” Allura inquires, confused. Lance lets go of Keith's shoulder and studies the alien Klaizap. 

“Destruction is everywhere. In the past few suns, fire has rained down from the heavens and a giant has danced in the sky.” Klaizap gestures up towards the sky as he answers. 

“You have not angered the Lion Goddess.” Allura reassures Klaizap with a smile.

“How can you be certain?” Klaizap questions with some caution. 

“Because I am Allura and this is my Castle.” Allura states softly. She gasps in surprise as Klaizap bows before her. 

“Lion Goddess!” 

“Please, bravest warrior, take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors.” Allura states calmly. Keith starts a bit concerned. 

“What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?” Keith exclaims with his arms crossed. 

“Part of the paladin's mission is to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks.” Allura states calmly as she follows after Klaizap. Lance shrugs as Keith looks at him.

“Nothing ever hurt with diplomacy. Well... sometimes but surely not with these Arusians.” Lance points out with a lazy smile. “Plus, spreading peace shouldn't be a problem here. Considering that Warrior Klaizap here sees the Princess as the Lion Goddess.” 

Lance jolts as the energy from the ground pulsates. Lance glances around at the landscape as the group continues after Klaizap. Lance taps into the land's energy and feels around for the other two paladins. Lance can feel them a few miles away from the Castle at... Lance feels his chest seize. A Galra ship. Coran watches Lance from the corner of his eyes. Coran sees Lance's eyes glowing slightly. Coran turns away and focuses on walking. Again, the glowing eyes. He has not noticed this characteristic on any of the other paladins. Lance blinks and the glowing disappears. Lance takes in the little village. It's quaint and adorable. As they come up, the villagers come out of their homes, or stop what they were doing to congregate around the group. Klaizap walks forward towards the Arusian King to stand next to him. 

“Oh, Lion Goddess, I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings.” The Arusian King states as he claps twice. An Arusian comes out, stumbling along. Lance blinks as they begin their dance. He can feel Allura's energy rolling with nervousness and uncertainty. 

“Please, there's no need for this.” 

“Moontow, halt! The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire. We must throw ourselves in!” Allura's energy snaps into fluctuation as she starts in horror.

“No! No sacrifices!”

“So, we may proceed with the dance?” The Arusian King questions confused, as they all stop their building of the fires.

“That's a better alternative.” The group is presented with the Arusian traditional dance and Lance relaxes as he watches them. He closes his eyes briefly to locate Shirogane and Pidge's current location. They're both still at the Galra ship. Lance opens his eyes as the Arusians finish up their dance. Allura steps forward.

“Oh, my! Please, please, rise. Thank you for that, but I am not a great being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger. It is I who should be apologizing to you. I am Princess Allura and these are the Voltron Paladins. Although we originally came from different worlds... and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends.” Allura explains to them. The Arusian King glances up at them confused. 

“But the mighty robot... has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?”

“Voltron? No. In fact, that mighty robot is here to protect you. Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!” Allura points out as the Arusians start cheering at the news.

“Why would you believe that your ways are immoral?” Lance inquires inquisitively curious. The Arusian King turns to him as Allura glances over at him slightly concerned. Lance can tell that she is worried that he was going to fuck something up. Diplomacy isn't easy and she knows that. Though, Lance smiles internally, he knows it too so Allura really doesn't have to worry.

“For generations, our people has told the stories about the Lion Goddess and it has been pass down since. It was first told to us by a servant of the Lion Goddess. They told our people that one day, the Lion Goddess would come. We believed that it was raining fire because we must have done something to anger the Goddess.” The Arusian King replies, glancing at Lance and Allura. 

“I see. Did your people ever describe the servant of the Lion Goddess?” Lance questions with a tilt of his head.

“Yes, they carved the servant onto our wall.” The Arusian King motions them to follow as they walked deeper into the village and into a dark building, lit by fires. The King walks towards the furthest wall and shows the painting to the group. Lance studies it along with the others. 

“That's definitely the shape of Voltron.” Hunk points out. Lance frowns at the carving. The servant's eyes were depicted as glowing and the shape is more humanoid-like. 

“This servant, is there a name that you call them by?” Lance inquires as he raises his hand over the carving slowly. The Arusian King doesn't stop him so Lance runs his hand over the servant's eyes. 

“Hmm, I do not know personally, however, I believe the village elder might know.” The Arusian King states calmly. Coran watches Lance as he runs his hand along the carving. There was something about Lance touching the glowing eyes that unnerves Coran a bit. Lance turns to the Arusian King.

“Would it be too much to ask to meet with the Village Elder?” Lance inquires softly, rubbing his wrists nervously. The Arusian King looks at Lance carefully, as if judging him for a sacrifice of worth. He nods and motions them to follow. To the left there is a door that has a curtain covering the entrance. 

“I will need a moment to confer with the elder. Wait here.” The Arusian King states as he disappears behind the curtain. 

“Lance? Why are you so interested in this servant?” Hunk questions as he leans heavily on his right foot. Lance turns to Hunk and sees the rest of the group's expressions. They want to know as well. 

“I like different stories and this one seems interesting.” Lance states out and notices Coran staring at him with eyes that say he doesn't quite believe him. The Arusian King comes out saving Lance from Coran's searching eyes. 

“The elder is only willing to talk with you.” The Arusian King says to Lance. Lance nods slowly. Allura grabs Lance's arm abruptly making Lance tip slightly towards her.

“Princess?” 

“What are you doing?” Allura questions with some concern.

“I'm going to go hear the story about the servant.” Lance replies nonchalantly; he lays a hand on Allura's hand that is holding his arm and infuses a bit of calming energy. Allura's eyes widen briefly as she barely catches Lance's glowing eyes. “Princess, you should hang out with the Arusians and get to know them. It would be good to learn about their culture.” Lance peels Allura's hand off gently. “I'll meet up with you guys afterwards.” Before anyone could stop him again, Lance disappears behind the curtain. Lance stops on the threshold of the room and searches behind him for the team's energies. 

“Come closer, child.” An elderly feminine voice calls out to him. Lance snaps back into the present as he takes in the room. The room is heavily shrouded in darkness and fog or smoke floats around the room. There is a strong smell that accompanies the smoke. Lance coughs quietly into his hand. “Sit, child.” Lance's eyes focuses in the darkness. There, siting against the back wall, was an elderly Arusian woman with ornate ornaments adorning her head. Lance brought his right pointer and middle finger with the palm facing out to his temple. As he bows slowly, his left arm rests at a ninety degrees behind his back as he turns his hand still holding the salute and bringing it to his chest next to his heart while turning his palm side to his chest. After his salute, Lance takes a seat in front of the elder. “An unusual salute, child. You are not like those who come with you.”

“...I don't understand what you mean.” Lance states calmly, slowly. The elder smiles at him with a knowing smile. 

“You come looking for the knowledge on the servant. The one that spoke of the Lion Goddess.” The elder says, intertwining her hands. 

“Yes. The servant's carving on the wall has something that spoke to me.” Lance replies, giving the elder his undivided attention. She nods knowingly, unnerving Lance. She turns to the shelf next to her, opening the little curtain to pull something out. This item was not something that Lance expected to see in the Arusian village. It wasn't as primitive as the other items and weapons found in the village. The item was made of metal. A gold metal disc that sings to Lance in a way that his silver needles do. Lance glances up to the elder, silently asking her for permission to hold the metal disc. She smiles with a slight nod. Lance touches the metal and the energy that has been stored inside bursts out after confirming a sixty four percent match. The elder watches as Lance's eyes widen in surprise at the display. 

“A familiar sight I presume, child?” 

“Yes... how did you come upon this? This metal... is native to my home planet which does not exist in this universe....” Lance questions as he removes his hands. 

“The servant you wished to know more about. He came with a young woman that spoke about the mighty robot and the Lion Goddess.” The elder says as she sits back against the wall. “He left us this disc hoping that it might help us in times of need.”

“Who was he?” Lance inquires glancing down at the disc.

“We never got his name, nor that of his companion. They told us that the Lion Goddess lives in that building on the mountain and told the story of her protection. Afterwards, the servant left Arus along with his companion never to be seen again.” The elder answers calmly, watching Lance's reaction carefully. 

“That doesn't seem....” Lance whispers out as his shoulders slump. A silence befalls them as they both sit in their own thoughts. The elder stare at the disc as she rubs her fingers together with a small nostalgic smile. Lance sighs as he rubs his temple. 

“The young woman looks a bit similar to the Lion Goddess, if I am truthful with you, child.” The elder whispers softly, quickly gaining Lance's attention. 

“She looks like the Princess?” Lance says softly with a wide eye. The elder nods still smiling. There was something about the elder's smile that made Lance pause. The elder turns back to the shelf. She pulls out a smaller box and hands it to him. “What is this?”

“Open it, child.” The elder smiles as Lance takes the lid off the small box. Inside the box was a small ornate silver metal star. An ornate star that was something that Lance was very familiar with. It was a Vaorian key. Vaorian keys can come in many different shapes and sizes. Since they come in the malleable metal that is so heavily abundant on Vaoria that some keys are known to shift shapes upon contact with a familiar Vaorian energy. Lance hesitates to touch the key itself. “I believe that these two items will do better in your hands.”

“I couldn't possibly take something like this from you and your people.” Lance says softly, putting the box with the key down next to the disc. The elder glances down at the items with a gentle smile. Lance watches as the elder close up the box and take the disc in her hands. 

“It has been a long time since then.” The elder whispers as she brushes her hand over the disc. Lance frowns as he sits there quietly. “They were both amazing people.”

“What?” Lance blurts out surprised. “You actually knew them?” The elder smiles knowingly as she puts the items to the side. “How?” The elder brings a small finger to her lips with a tilt of her head. 

“You have many things to worry about, child. There is no need to ask these questions right now.” The elder says quietly as she glances up at Lance. Lance looks down at his hands slightly disappointed. 

A crackle static is heard from Lance's helmet. He glances up at the elder who gives him permission. He puts his helmet on to listen to the chatter. 

“Team, come in! We need backup! Hello?” Shirogane's voice echoes through the coms. 

“Shiro?” Allura questions as she glances over at Keith and Hunk.

“Where is everyone?” Shirogane inquires as there are sounds of movement coming from their coms. Lance listens, biting his lower lip in concern. 

“What is going on?” Keith states through the coms as the grounds begins to shake. The elder glances around the room before sighing gently. “Oh, no. We gotta get to our lions!” Lance stands up abruptly, giving the elder his salute. The elder nods with a smile, and urges him to go. Lance turns on his heels and exits the building to glance up at the skies. He looks for the team and jogs over. 

“Everyone get inside and stay down!” Allura commands as her arm does a sweeping motion. Lance slides into view. Allura turns to him with a stern expression. “Lance...”

“We should go, Princess.” Lance says without letting her finish her line of thought. “Got a planet to protect.” Lance smiles smugly. The team nod and they all run back towards the castle. Lance tries to connect with Blue as he continues back. Lance licks his lips when he manages a very small connection. He pushes all the information that he knows through that small connection. Lance smiles as he hears Blue roar from the castle. 

When they reach the castle, the team splits up to go to their respective spots. Lance pats both Keith and Hunk on the back with a wink and with his pointer and middle finger at his temple in a salute. Hunk smiles as he shakes his head rushing off to his own lion. Keith merely blinks before leaving as well. Lance runs to his lion and hop into the cockpit. 

“Hello beautiful.” Lance says as he shoots out of the hanger with Blue. “Shirogane! What is the situation?” Lance blinks as the Black and Green lions flies past him quickly. 

“We need to get to Shiro.” Keith exclaims as the Red Lion flies next to him. Hunk comes up near them as well. They fly after the other lions. The lions protect Shirogane and Pidge. Lance takes in the scene around him as he tries to take into consideration the massive enemy. Pidge goes flying as the enemy's orb hits them away. Shirogane covers Pidge by jumping onto the enemy's back. “Lay down some covering fire so they can get out of there!”

“On it!” Lance yells as he moves forward to distract the enemy with laser fire. Hunk starts up his attack.

“Check this out! Battle-lion head-butt!” Hunk says while ramming his lion into the enemy. There doesn't seem to be any damage taken and the enemy doesn't look to be struggling under their barrage. 

“You guys okay down there?” Keith questions over the coms. 

“Still alive for now.” Shirogane replies as he flies the Black Lion to where the rest of the Lions where situated. 

“The Galra are behind this?” Hunk questions as he grips his controls. Lance pops up on everyone's screens. 

“Most likely. I can't think of anyone that would have technology to send this.” Lance replies calmly. 

“I agree, however, I've never seen anything like it.” Shirogane replies slightly worried. 

“We're going to need a plan, Shirogane.” Lance states as he rolls his shoulders back. The others all turn to Shirogane for the next course of action.

“If we want to take this monster down, there's only one way to do it.” Shirogane says as the Black Lion begins to roar. “Form Voltron!”

Once Voltron forms, the team take in the situation. The enemy is still below them with the orb weapon charged. 

“Remember, we are one unit, fighting with one goal.” Shirogane says as a reminder. Lance blinks as the enemy's weapon begins to whirl. The orb comes at them as they fail to dodge the attack and Voltron falls to the ground. The entire team is yelling from impact. 

“Oh, that hurts.” Lance mutters under his breath as he straightens out from the jostling impact. Voltron getting it's butt handed to it was not what the team was expecting.

“I thought Voltron was the most powerful weapon in the universe!” Keith says out once he managed to get back in his chair comfortably. 

“Yeah, so how is this mosnter kicking our butts?” Hunk replies as he stares at his screens. Pidge blinks trying to grasp the entire situation. 

“Even the most powerful weapon can be useless if not handled correctly.” Lance states calmly as he pulls up his holograms. “We're just not handling Voltron to its full potential.”

“That is true. We're still trying to grasp how this entire thing works.” Shirogane agrees as the team watches as the orb begins to whirl once more. Shirogane glances at his own screens and gasps quietly. “Oh, no! The village! We have to protect those people!” Lance and Hunk quickly run through their controls to keep Voltron from landing on the village with the jets in the legs. “That was close!”

“We got him away from the Arusians, but we can't take him down!” Pidge states with a hint of worry. Lance moves as they try to keep dodging the orbs.

“Pidge, fire lasers now!” Shirogane commands quickly. 

“Got it! Fire! Oops!” Pidge quickly responds, but fumbles with the controls producing the shield instead. 

“No! Lasers! Lasers!” Shirogane commands urgently. Pidge continues fumble at the controls until the enemy manages to hit Voltron once more. Everyone groans from the impact. Lance pulls his holographic screens around to focus on them once more. There has to be something they could use to defeat the enemy. There's always a weakness, even a small one, to exploit. 

“Every time we focus on that orb, we're blindsided by the monster, and every time we focus on the monster, the orb hits us!” Hunk exclaims as Voltron sits in a mountain. Hunk sees the orb rearing up once more. “Orb!” The team braces for impact. 

“Shirogane, we gotta move! Shirogane, are you there?” Lance calls over the coms with no response. “Shiro!” The weapon whirls while the orb crackles. 

“That sound... I recognize this monster from my time in Zarkon's prison. I know how to beat him!” Shirogane says as he glances up at the team. “Listen, there's a loud sound when the orb returns to the base of the weapon, and every third time, that orb needs to be charged up. That's this monster's weakest point. That's when we strike.”

“Okay, so what do we do in the meantime?” Hunk inquires, staring worryingly at the enemy. 

“Defense!” Shirogane states out, “Pidge, we need that shield!” Pidge brings the shield up as the team braces as the orb hits them. The team grunts under the pressure. “That's one. Two more to go!” The orb hits the shield once more.

“We can't take much more!” Hunk states as he braces again at the second impact. 

“Last one! Everyone brace for impact!” Shirogane orders as Voltron begins to shake under the impact. 

“What do we do after bracing, Shirogane!” Lance inquires as the weapons begins to return to the staff. Shirogane shoots the enemy with Voltron's lasers. Lance blinks as his eyes take in how the laser slides off of the enemy. “That didn't work at all. Shirogane, what did you do before?” Lance hears Shirogane groan on the other end of the coms. 

“When I attacked him before, I had a sword!” Shirogane answers as Hunk starts chanting orb over the coms. The team braces for the impact. 

“We can't take another shot like that!” Pidge yells over the coms as their screens start showing signs of stress. The red lion beep and Keith blinks.

“Wait a second, guys! I think my lion's telling me what to do.” Keith says as he begins to pull out his bayard. 

“Yeah, well hurry it up! He's about to fire his third shot!” Lance answers as he tries to help Hunk brace for impact. The orb hits Voltron and they crash into the earth. Keith yells as he jams his bayard into the console and turns it. A sword forms which Shirogane immediately takes advantage of to destroy the enemy in one swoop. 

“Yeah! We did it!” Pidge exclaims excitedly. 

“How did you do that?” Hunk inquires as he stares in surprise at the outcome. Keith laughs brightly, which is a first for the entire team, except Shirogane. 

“Whoa, no idea.” Keith replies softly in awe and from adrenaline. “Thanks, Red.” Lance takes in everyone's expressions on their visuals from his cockpit. They were different degrees of excitement in their second victory. Lance closes his eyes as he leans back against his chair. 

“Alright, team. Let's head back to the castle.” Shirogane states as Voltron breaks up and the Lions return to the castle. Lance feels Blue nudge him and sends image of him piloting with a question mark. Lance smiles as he sends Blue the image of Blue piloting instead. Blue sends a pulse of happiness as Blue shoots out ahead of the team to fly loops around the others, playfully. Lance mutes his coms as he allows for Blue to playfully stretch her legs. The team returns to the castle. Lance hops out of Blue and pat her affectionately. Blue sends him images of the prisoners and that brings a small smile to his face. 

“You got it, beautiful. I'll see you later.” Lance replies as he gives her one last pat on the nose. She nudges him playfully with her nose. Lance laughs as he walks away. 

****

Lance walks through the castle, heading towards the location where the prisoners were staying. When he arrives, he notices that the recently freed prisoners were sitting around with blankets wrapped around them for warmth. They glance up when he walks in. 

“Hello, I see that you all are doing well.” Lance greets as he comes over to them. A freed prisoner nods as they hold onto a warm drink. 

“Yes, we thank you for saving us.”

“Not at all. It was our pleasure, truly. I was told that we're going to give you all a ship to get home.” Lance answers with a smile. “Maybe if we meet again, you could tell us your stories. I would love to hear them.” The freed prisoner smiles, still tired from their time in the cryo pods. 

“It would be our pleasure to.” The freed prisoner answers. “We heard there was fighting earlier as the ground shook.”

“Yeah, it was a tough one. From what I gathered, it seems like the Galra sent us an enemy that Shirogane had fought when he was with the Galra.” Lance replies softly. The freed prisoner's eyes widened in surprise. 

“They...” 

“Apparently. I assumed that the Galra have some sort of technology that could be capable of such a thing.” Lance answers as he gives them all a small smile. “No worries, Voltron took care of it.”

“It was horrible. The things that the Galra forced us to fight and do.” A freed prisoner to Lance's right whispers quietly. Lance can see the haunted look in their eyes. The eyes of someone that has seen too much to compute what has happened to them. Lance wonders briefly if that is what he looked like when he crash landed at the McClain's house all those years ago. At that thought, Lance glances down at his feet, suddenly lonely and a bit jealous of these prisoners. They will get to go home to their families and friends. Lance knows he can't leave, not when the universe so desperately needs a protector. There's nothing Lance can say to these prisoners that will help to remove those haunted looks. That's only something that family and friends can help to remove. So instead, Lance gives them a very gentle squeeze on the shoulder as a way of giving support.

“We should head down to the hanger.” Lance says softly after a while. The prisoners all nod as they fold up their blankets and deposit their cups on the tray. Lance watches them quietly. When they are done, Lance leads them down towards the hangers where a ship awaits them. Allura, Coran, Keith, and Hunk come into the room. Lance turns to glance over at them.

“We apologize for taking a while to fully finish the preparations for your departure.” Allura states as she comes to stand near Lance.

“It was of no importance. We heard of your recent battle with the Galra.” The first freed prisoner says softly, while the others head into the ship to wait for departure. 

“Oh, yes.” Allura answers surprised. Lance smiles briefly, amused. He returns his attention to the freed prisoner. 

“Good luck out there.” Lance states as he gives them all an encouraging smile. 

“Thank you all for everything. We never dreamed we'd see our families again. But you gave us hope. You gave the universe hope.” The freed prisoner says as they give the team a bow. The team watches as they get into the ship and start flying away. Once out of view the team splits up once more. Lance walks away and feels for the last two members and finds them outside on the near the castle. Lance ends up by the entrance. He leans against the doorway as he watches the last two members of the team talking in the distance. Lance watches for a little while, before pushing himself off the wall and walking back into the castle. It was nice to see Shirogane talking with Pidge. Shirogane was getting to know the team, apart from Keith. There was still a bit of a ways to go since Lance was sure there was some PTSD floating around. 

Lance goes back to his own room to freshen up. Turns on the faucet in the bathroom and splashes his face with some water. He glances up to stare at himself in the mirror. For a second, all Lance can see is his entire face dripping with his purple-reddish blood while his eyes are glowing blue. Lance shakes his head and blinks quickly, clearing up the image. Lance glances at the mirror once more to see his wet face instead. His hands hold onto the side of the sink tightly as he leans forward with his head bowed, while droplets of water drip off his face. 

_“Lance! Oh my Ophiuchi...” Assane runs over to him as he comes back to her carrying an young Altean child. Her eyes widen as she takes in his condition. He hands her the young unconscious child. “Lance...”_

_“Take care of the child.” Lance orders as he moves to wipe the blood out of his eyes. Assane takes the child carefully._

_“I'll call for an Altean medic to help the child. What happened?” Assane questions as she motions for an Altean to take the child._

_“Have you gotten contact with any of the commanding officers of the Altean Army?” Lance questions, ignoring her concern. His eyes are glowing blue as his entire body hums with swirling quintessence energy. Assane licks her lips nervously._

_“Yes, but it's going to take a while before they can make it to this location to evacuate the civilians.” Assane reports as she starts to dab away the blood that is covering his head. Lance's electric blue eyes snap over to her which makes her pause in her ministrations. Assane lets her hand drop to her side._

_“I need an estimate, Assane.”_

_“One hour.” Assane replies, carefully watching Lance. He glances up at the horizon as the hair on her arms rise from the intensity of Lance's swirling quintessence energy. “Lance....”_

Lance shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. Gods, he's tired. Lance splashes his face a few more times before wiping it dry. He walks out of the bathroom to his room. He stares blankly at the room, before digging through his jacket and unconsciously dialing the number in his communicator. It rings a few times, and dies. Lance feeling frustration build up that he starts to throw it but stops abruptly. 

“AHHH FUSIK!!” Lance yells as he throws the communicator on the bed. The communicator bounces as it hits the bed and stills. Lance drags his hand down his face as he takes deep breaths. These memories are beginning to bother him more than he would like to admit. Plus, how hard is it to make one phone call in the entire universe? Lance walks backwards until he hits the wall and slides down slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for spending the time to read this fic. It makes me extremely happy knowing that you all enjoy it so much. 
> 
> Curious question for all of y'all. I was thinking of creating a discord chat room so that you guys could come and talk about the story and other things while I work on the next chapter. It will contain spoilers and if you want to know more about my writing process and what not. Tell me in the comments! See you all next time!


	18. Arusian Plays

"Lance? Could you come down to the lobby? The Arusians wish to perform something for us." Allura's voice echoes from Lance's helmet. Lance jolts forward from his daze, stuck in his memories. 

"Yeah, will do Princess." Lance answers as he gets up from his position on the ground. He stares at the communicator briefly, before turning on his heels and leaving his room. Lance strolls through the halls towards where the "party" was happening. Not a good idea, but Lance couldn't bring himself to squash their fun after such a victory. It was their second victory as a team and the majority of them haven't experienced a war first hand before. When Lance enters the lobby, he sees the Arusians standing in groups around the area. The Paladins along with Coran and Allura are standing watching as the Arusian King tells the story of their recent battle. 

"The monster fell from the sky! It was an epic battle, but Voltron was victorious!" The Arusian King narrates as the actors playing Voltron fell over dead. "No. I said, 'Voltron was victorious!'" The actors got up quickly and defeated their enemy as the Arusians watching cheers. Lance smiles softly as Allura has a bit of trouble hiding her discomfort by the Arusians' play.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for that... wonderful production. It saddens me that we must leave tomorrow, but we must continue our battle with Zarkon and spread peace throughout the universe. Your Majesty... please accept this gift. This will allow you to contact us anytime you need help. Arus will be the first planet in the Voltron Alliance." Allura states as she hands the Arusian King a communicator. Lance blinks at it curiously. He's going to have to get his hand on one of those to see if there was something he could do for his own communicator. 

"Hoorah!" The Arusian King cheers as the others follow their leader in their own cheers. Lance walks over to Hunk and Keith while the other Paladins, Coran, and Allura all mingle with the Arusians. 

"What did I miss?" Lance questions as he leans up against Hunk, grabbing a drink from a floating tray.

"Just the Arusians' reenactment of our latest battle." Hunk replies as he wraps a supporting arm around Lance's waist. 

"Eh... was I cool?" Lance inquires, swishing his drink in his cup. There was a small smile on his face as he watches the others. 

"Nope, it was all about Voltron," Keith replies calmly. "You weren't even mentioned once, McClain." Lance looks at him in disbelief. 

"Ah, come on. Surely, the Arusians mentioned me once or twice." Lance states out as he moves his hands animatedly. Keith shakes his head with a small smile.

"No, not at all."

"Seriously though, we were amazing. Weren't we?" Hunk questions, glancing at the two next to him. 

"We weren't amazing, Hunk. We're going to be the best there ever was." Lance says then slurps on the drink. Oh... Lance's eyes widen at the horrible taste. This taste has to be the worst Altean thing he has ever had the pleasure of trying. Lance gags on it, as his mouth thins into a line. Hunk and Keith glance at him worried. 

"Lance?" Hunk inquires letting go to get a better look. Lance catches sight of Coran.

"Coran, what is this?" Lance gasps out. 

"Oh, this is Nunvil, the nectar of the gods!" Coran says, pulling on his mustache.

"I see. The gods have a strange taste palate if that is what their nectar tastes like." Lance quips out. Coran smiles.

"Yeah, makes a wonderful hair tonic as well," Coran states nonchalantly. Lance gives him a weak smile. 

"Right..." Lance brings his right hand up to cover his lips. Coran pats him on the back. Keith stares at the drink in his hands and turns to share a glance with Hunk, whose looking slightly green in the face. Shirogane comes up to Coran. They were both still close enough that Lance can hear them if he focuses on it. Keith and Hunk playfully play with their drinks and food.

"I'm not sure we should be letting everyone wander in and out of the castle like this. It doesn't seem safe." Shirogane states calmly as he looks around the lobby. Lance blinks as he takes in the surroundings. Something... feels off, Lance can't put his finger on it. However, Shirogane's words also resonate with his own concerns. 

"Oh, these Arusians won't hurt anything..." Coran pauses as the dishware clatters, "much." There was the sound of shattering that made Coran give Shirogane a sheepish smile. "Besides, it's only fair to let them see the inside of a castle that's been sitting on their planet for so long."

"But who knows when Zarkon will attack again? I'm going to do a perimeter check, just in case." Shirogane states as he heads towards the entrance of the castle. Coran watches him leave with slight concern. Lance returns his attention to Keith and Hunk.

"I guess we should get used to this space juice. Who knows when we'll get back home again." Lance states as he unconsciously sips at the drink. Of course, he has to take a moment to let the taste pass. Goodness, he's never going to get used to Nunvil. 

"Yeah, if ever." Hunk answers nonchalantly. Lance licks his lips, knowing the chances of him ever getting home is slim. "I mean, if this Zarkon guy has been ruling for 10,000 years, how long do you think it will take for us to fix it? You know, if we live." 

"Oh right, that..." Lance whispers. Would it be morbid if Lance fully expects to never make it home alive? Keith watches Lance's face as expressions quickly filter through.

"Hey, what do you guys think the chances are of us landing on a nacho planet?" Hunk inquires with excitement.

"Not sure that would be a planet, Hunk," Keith replies with a raised eyebrow. 

"Well, there's only one planet with Veradera Beach, pizza shack looking over the water and the garlic knots and my Mamá's hugs..." Lance pauses as he remembers that he literally disappeared back on Earth and knowing the Garrison. They would have fabricated something to discourage his family to look into it. "I'm sorry. I think this Nunvil is getting to me. I gotta go." Lance quickly leaves the area, trying to get his breathing to slow down. Coran notices him leave the room. An elderly Arusian follows after him on their little stubby legs. 

Lance rounds the corner and slows down to a slow walk. If only his communicator worked, then he could tell his family that he is still alive along with Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Shirogane. Surely, their families would be worried as well. 

"Child..." Lance spins on his heels and stares at the Arusian Elder. Lance gives her his Vaorian salute after coming out of his shock. Her smile is gentle and calm. 

"I..." Lance fumbles, uncertain. He watches as the Elder pulls out the two Vaorian items from earlier. Lance shakes his head, but she is stubborn. She takes his hands and lays the items onto his palm and enclose it with his fingers. 

"Child, no matter what you believe. You must know that you are not alone out here." The Arusian Elder says softly. "Each one of you are here because you were chosen. It will be tough, but I have a feeling that all of you will be astounding." She pats his hand with that knowing smile that unnerves him. 

"Elder, I don't think I understand what you want me to understand," Lance says softly. She pushes his hands closer to his chest. 

"All you need to understand for now is that these two items must go with you." She answers with a stern expression. Before Lance could get anything else out, the Arusian Elder quickly let go of his hand and disappeared around the corner. Lance stares down at the items in his hands. The disc and the key. Knowledge and a pathway. Lance swallows his saliva as he pockets the items in one of the pockets of his leg strap. Out of sight, out of mind. Lance makes his way up to the bridge, pulls out the map of the universe and sits on the stairs tired. He stares blankly at the planets and stars floating around him. Their light bathes him in a soft blue glow. The sound of the doors sliding open alert Lance to someone entering the room. 

"Mind if I join you?" Coran inquires as he leans over to see Lance's eyes. Lance glances up at him while Coran hops down.

"We're a long way from Earth, right?" Lance whispers softly, staring at the floating planets. 

"Yes. Earth is millions and billions of light years away." Coran answers curious, as he points to Earth. Lance shakes his head slowly. Coran studies Lance's face as he tries to be subtle.

"It's always been interesting to me how far the planets are from each other, Coran," Lance whispers as he stares at the blue galaxies. Lance stands up to zoom in onto their location, with practiced ease. Coran takes note of it. "Would it have been detrimental to have the planets closer? Was the universe afraid that if the planets were extremely close that conquest would happen?"

"That is an interesting question," Coran states calmly as he returns his attention to the map. 

"Heh, you really can't see Earth from this spot. It's so far, I can't even see the blue oceans... or the white clouds, green grass..." Lance says absently. "You can't see those you left behind." Coran lays a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"You miss Earth. I understand. I miss Altea." Coran states with melancholy. Lance takes a deep breath.

"Coran, I know we're supposed to be brave paladins and Defenders of the Universe and what not, but, honestly? I just want to go home and rest." Lance states calmly as he rubs his face tiredly. Coran sees the bags of exhaustion underneath Lance's eyes now that he's right next to him. 

"If I could go home, I would," Coran whispers, unconsciously rubbing circles into Lance's shoulder.

"I miss the rain, splashing in puddles, and free diving in the underwater caves..." Lance states quietly. Coran perks up.

"Rain?" 

"Yeah, it's water that falls from the sky," Lance answers softly, smiling as Coran brightens up in understanding.

"Oh, we had that on Altea. Only, it wasn't water, more like rocks. Razor-sharp and boiling hot. Oh, they could knock a hole right in your head." Coran explains with a nostalgic smile. 

"Sounds like a fun way to learn how to dodge flying objects." Lance points out, shaking his head amused. He remembered experiencing Altean rain once before. Assane was not as amused by it as he was. Then again, she was a doctor-in-training.... Lance turns his attention to the stars once more longingly. 

"Yeah," Coran says wistfully.

****

In an empty hallway, Shirogane, Hunk, Keith, Allura, and Pidge are standing in a small group talking to each other. Shirogane looks at Pidge concerned. 

"Pidge, no."

"The download from the Galra ship was enough to at least get me in the right direction to start my search. I have a pod all ready to go." Pidge replies as they readjust their bag strap over their shoulder. 

"You can't leave!" Keith exclaims worried, getting a bit nervous. Pidge turns and glares at him.

"You can't tell me what to do!" They yell back as they push up their glasses. 

"If you leave, we can't form Voltron. And that means we can't defend the universe against Zarkon. You're not the only one with a family! All these Arusians have families. Everyone in the universe has families." Keith yells getting in Pidge's face, frustrated. This wasn't supposed to happen. 

"Yeah, I have a family. They live on Earth. I want to be with them. Is that, like, a thing that can happen?" Hunk blurts out as he slowly hugs himself, nervous. Allura turns to look at Hunk in disbelief. 

"You want to leave, too?" Allura questions as she turns to glance at all of them. If either Coran or Lance was there they would have noticed how everyone was beginning to become defensive. Hunk was closing himself off by leaning away from Allura's accusation. 

"Of course I do! Look, Voltron is super-cool, don't get me wrong, but I never signed up for a lifetime in space, fighting aliens." Hunk exclaims as he moves his arms. "I was a student on Earth learning how to repair ships when something goes wrong!" Keith uncrossed his arms and steps forward toward Pidge with tension in his entire body.

"You're putting the lives of two people over the lives of everyone else in the entire galaxy!" Keith yells as Shirogane pulls Keith back gently. 

"Keith, that's not how a team works. People have to want to be a part of it. They can't be forced." Shirogane states calmly before he turns to Pidge with an understanding smile. "If you want to leave, we won't try to stop you. But, please, just think about what you're doing." Pidge glances at Shirogane with a brief look before turning on their heels and begin to walk away from the team.

"I'm sorry. You're going to have to find someone else to pilot the Green Lion." Pidge says loud enough for them to hear. Rover squeaks unhappily, trying to tell Pidge to rethink their idea. Allura stares after Pidge with her mouth thinned into a line. 

"I can't believe it... This team is falling apart. How will we ever form Voltron?" Allura whispers out worried. Hunk watches as Pidge walks away with some nervousness. He glances around looking for Lance, his support. Shirogane takes a deep breath watching Pidge disappear around the corner. That is a very good question.

****

Lance studies Coran as he goes and turns off the star map with an experienced hand. Lance stares out of the windows that lined the bridge walls. 

“Coran?” Lance says softly.

“Yes, my boy?” Coran answers turning to look at him.

“The Princess...” Lance stops, thinking. “Despite her trying to come off as experienced, she must have begun her training into being a leader a bit before she was put into cryo-sleep, correct?” Coran blinks at the question and lets his arms fall to his sides. 

“You are correct. Why do you ask?” Coran inquires as he leans back to watch him. 

“There were some moments that I figured she hadn't fully learned everything. Not that you can ever learn everything you need to know to be a leader. Knowledge is infinite, therefore, learning never truly ends.” Lance states as he turns to look at Coran.

“You told me earlier that you learned how to be a soldier on Earth at a training camp?” Coran questions as Lance nods. “Did you also learn to be a leader? There were a few moments that you took charge. For example, the gladiator training you commanded the paladins without much hesitation when Shiro was frozen.”

“Well, they taught us to be able to be flexible and that sometimes we would have to step up to the challenge.” Lance replies with a shrug. “I was taught that even in simulations to believe that it wasn't merely a simulation but rather the real deal.” 

“Hmm...Earth customs are very strange.” Coran says patting Lance's shoulders. “Thank you.”

“What for?” Lance inquires glancing up at him with scrunched up eyes.

“For watching after everyone. I know that you have been giving advice and watching how the others are holding up.” Coran answers as he lets his hands drop to his side. “I try to assist all of you, but I am unfamiliar with how to comfort Earthlings and therefore unable to assist as well as I would.”

“I'm sure that the gestures are appreciated, Coran. If they don't appreciate it, at least know that I do.” Lance says with a small smile. Coran gives him a smile and one last pat on the back. 

"Well, we should return to the party," Coran states as he begins walking towards the doors. Lance gives the space one last look before turning and following Coran out of the room. The drone comes in humming pass Lance. 

"Hey Rover," Lance states as the drone float past him. The drone starts beeping, immediately alerting Lance. He quickly turns towards the drone as it gets closer to the crystal. His eyes widen in shock. The beeping was getting faster. He quickly pulls the quintessence from the ground and crystal in around him. He makes the quintessence energy coil strongly at his center. "Coran, look out!" 

Lance sends a quintessence energy shield to block Coran as he shoots a line of quintessence at the drone and tries to wrap the quintessence around the drone. Coran turns to see Lance struggling to contain the currently exploding drone in the orb of energy. Sweat begins to form at his temples from the strain of keeping the quintessence shield up and the orb. The energy swirls around Lance with an intensity that Coran is unable to move to assist. Coran blinks as the shock wears off. From his angle, Coran can see Lance's eyes glowing an intense electric blue. Coran tries to step forward to assist but an energy shield blocks him from entering the room. 

"Lance!" Coran yells as he pounds on the shield. Lance spares Coran a very brief glance and smiles softly. "Lance!" Lance ignores Coran as the explosion begins to burst through the orb. Lance tries to weave more quintessence energy around it to contain the explosion.

"Fusik!" Lance curses as he has to let go of the orb to throw an energy shield up to protect himself from the explosion. Coran screams and covers his face with his arms as the blast impacts the shields and it shatters. Darkness.

The entire castle begins to shake with the explosion as the Arusians scream and depart from the castle for cover from debris. Hunk whimpers as he quickly jumps behind Shirogane and holds onto his arm. Pidge glances up at the ceiling as the castle continues to rumble. The castle powers down. The team is left in complete darkness as the Arusians continue their screaming from the castle walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the wonderful support! I love every moment of it. DISCORD server is up. IF you want to join and hang out send me a message and I'll give you the link. Have a good weekend everyone, stay safe!


	19. Dark Pains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking around~ Also there are little stories added to the overall series if you want to check those out, Enjoy! 
> 
> Also, enjoy Season 4~

There's darkness and intense pain erupting from all over. There are shockwaves of energy backlash jumping out at the seams. And his nerves are on fire, it burns with such intensity that any movement is too much. Lance groans out in pain as he feels something lifting him up. The strain that his muscles feel from the movement makes Lance want to scream out in pain.

_“Lance...we talked about this. You need to be able to channel it.”_

Lance tries to block out the pain as he tries to focus on the quintessence alone. It's quite difficult. Just when he thinks he can focus on it, the quintessence does not agree. It sparks and leaves him in even more pain than before. He can hear some voices, but they're not recognizable.

“Lance!”

“We have to get Lance to the infirmary!” 

“He doesn't look good.” There was little rapid pitter patters as footsteps where heard running into the room. Lance doesn't understand. The darkness and pain won't let up. Who doesn't look good? 

“Lion Warriors, our village is under attack! We need help!” Lance can barely comprehend what he hears over the fog of pain covering all of his other senses like a blanket of freshly fallen snow. 

“Let's get to the lions!”

“You can't. They're sealed in their hangers. There's no way to get them out. We're defenseless.”

“Will you not help us?”

“We'll help you. We just...” Lance groans as a painful spasm filters through his body. The pain is pulsating and it hurts. It hurts as if he was being trampled under a stampede of elephants. Lance knows that voice. Lance is sure whoever they were said more but the pain intensified until pain was pounding in his head. 

Lance can feel himself being lifted up like a bag of potatoes. He can't be like this. Lance tries to access the quintessence once more and jolts awake when someone grabs him roughly. Lance blinks sluggishly as his vision begins to focus, still fuzzy at the edges. He notices a Galra solder with his arm at Shirogane's neck and vice versa. Lance feels the quintessence around him.

“Let him go or your friend won't make it!” The presence behind him orders calmly dropping him. Lance pulls the quintessence from the earth glancing up at Shirogane as he was about to turn his head to check.

“Don't!” Lance gasps out. Shirogane freezes from letting go of his full attention on Sendak, his glowing hand still at Sendak's neck. The presence behind Lance quickly starts as he quickly retaliates by kicking Lance trying to knock him out. Lance grabs Haxus's leg with his arms. He pulls on the leg as he rolls bringing Haxus down with him. Shirogane takes that moment to continue his fight with Sendak. Lance twists Haxus's leg with all of his might, there's a very loud popping sound as a joint was pulled out of it's socket. Lance can hear Haxus yell out in pain. Haxus uses his other leg to step on Lance's fingers getting Lance to release his leg. Lance gasps out in pain. 

“I'm going to kill you.” Haxus says as he pulls Lance up by the hair. Lance has a faint smile on his face as he stares at Haxus. 

“Yeah...? Sounds nice.” Lance gasps out between breaths. “Could...you?”

“Don't kill him, Haxus.” Sendak orders as he walks over, throws an unconscious Shirogane down at his feet. 

“Sir.” Haxus says as he shifts his hold onto Lance. He puts his arms underneath Lance's arms and secures him in front. Sendak comes up to Lance and holds onto Lance's chin with his Galra hand. Sendak's grip is bruising. Lance glares at him as blood drips out of the side of his mouth. There's a ring of electric blue glow around Lance's pupils. 

“Hmm... lets see how long he can keep conscious with those injuries.” Sendak states as he motions to Haxus to cuff him. Lance bites down on Sendak's hand tightly once he lets go of his face. Sendak growls as he gets his hand released. He stares at Lance with disgust. “Haxus, let's go.” 

“Of course.” Haxus hands Lance over to one of the sentinels to walk after Sendak as he goes up to the bridge. Shirogane and Lance get dragged after them. 

****

Hunk sits quietly, staring out the window of the ship. Coran is next to him piloting it towards the Balmera. Hunk keeps replaying the image of a bleeding unconscious Lance in his mind. Hunk knows Lance can get silly at times but there are moments that remind him that Lance is a friend that would be willing to jump onto a grenade for a trusted friend. Hunk takes in the vast space spread out before him and sighs softly. Coran glances at Hunk out of the corner of his eyes. Coran remembers when Hunk saw Lance's unconscious form. His eyes were glossy as if he was on the verge of tears, yet they would not fall. Coran is proud that Hunk took a huge unsteady breath and steeled himself with determination. 

“Is this the Balmera planet with the crystals?” Hunk questions as he takes in the planet that comes into view. Coran nods as he continues piloting the ship.

“It's not a planet. Balmera are ancient animals. Petrified, but still alive. Their bodies naturally create the crystals that help power mini Altean ships.” Coran explains. Hunk notices Coran starts to get nostalgic as he continues talking. “I often accompanied my grandfather to visit these majestic creatures when he was building the Castle of Lions. I'll never forget the first time I saw the sparkling surface of a Balmera. You're in for quite a treat!” Coran's eyes widen as they enter the Balmera's gravitation and atmosphere. “Oh, no. This is horrifying. The Galra have turned this into a mining colony! They're completely destroying it! They have no regard for the poor creature!” Hunk stares at the brown Balmera marred with Galra technology. The alarm begins to blare.

“Uh-oh. We've been spotted!” Hunk exclaims as he stares at the Galra ship.

“Hailing unidentified craft. State your ship ID, entry code, and landing destination.” A voice is heard over the coms. Hunk turns to Coran to see what he would do. 

“Okay, so what's the plan?” Hunk questions as he holds onto his seat rests tightly.

“Just stay calm. I got this.” Coran says as he turns to the radio. “We don't really need to land. Uh, we're just looking around, if that's okay.” Hunk stares at Coran with a raised eyebrow. 

“Unidentified craft, land immediately and prepare to be boarded.” 

“Okay. Thank you. See you down below.” Coran says into the radio and smiles viciously. He makes a quick maneuver as he tries to lose the Galra ship. The ship shoots their lasers at the ship as Coran continues to dodge the laser fire. Hunk braces himself in his chair but remains uncharacteristically quiet. “Not done yet. Hang on!”

“Coran! Over there!” Hunk points to a hole that hidden behind a stone arch. Coran zig-zags the ship through and manages to out fly the Galra ship. He docks the ship in the tunnel out of sight and they both get out of the ship to gather their surroundings. “Coran, what lives at the bottom of these mines?”

“Hmm, it depends. Different Balmeras have different species that can co-exist with it.” Coran explains as they both notice two dark shadows coming towards them from deeper within the tunnels.

****

Lance notices the dark purplish crystal that the other sentinels were carrying. There was something foul to the crystal that makes Lance nauseous as he tries to bring the quintessence to himself. Lance coughs as the quintessence from the crystal itself attacks the nerves in his body. Lance's eyes widen as he has to bite down on his inner cheek to avoid screaming. He almost cries out as he tries to push the bad quintessence away and try to grab onto the quintessence from the planet. He needs the energy if he is to help the team. 

A flash of worry for the others has him concerned. Was Coran alright? Where are they? Why weren't they at the castle? The sentinels drop Shirogane and Lance to the side as they begin assisting the others in attaching the crystal to the Castle. Lance drags himself over to Shirogane's unconscious form. Lance moves his cuffed hands towards Shirogane's arm. He tries shaking him while keeping an eye on Sendak and Haxus. Shirogane groans inaudibly. Lance shakes him a bit more urgently. Shirogane opens his eyes slowly. Before he could say anything, Lance puts a finger to his lips and nods over his shoulder. Shirogane glances at the scene and nods slowly. Lance motions towards the cuffs slowly, keeping an eye on what was happening behind him. Shirogane moves his cuffed hands over to Lance. Lance shakes his head with a small amused smile. Shirogane looks at Lance with a slight confusion. Lance puts up his pointer finger, telling him to wait. He moves his arms towards his leg strap and pulls out a silver needle. Shirogane notices Lance's little Cheshire grin as his blue eyes begin to glow softly. For a moment nothing happens to the silver needle, until the needle itself morphs into a lockpick just for the Galra cuffs. Shirogane's eyes widen as he watches Lance quietly unlock his cuffs and then start on his own. Shirogane touches Lance's shoulder gently, catching his attention. Shirogane starts signing with his hands.

“How are you holding up?” Lance gives him a tired smile and shrugs slowly. He nods towards Sendak and Haxus. Shirogane purses his lips together and nods slowly. Lance holds the silver needle in between his fingers as he focuses his attention over at them. 

“Power up the Castle.” Sendak orders. “The lions are all in their bays. Raising particle barrier. Begin launch sequence.” Shirogane sees Lance's eyes sharpen and glow. Shirogane tries to stop Lance from morphing the silver needle thicker and longer. But Lance ignores Shirogane as he gets up on unsteady legs, takes two large steps to build up momentum and flings the javelin at one of cables connected to the corrupted crystal. It flies through the air and hits dead on the cable snapping it in half. Immediately shutting down the castle start up. Sendak and Haxus turn to their prisoners and see them both on their feet.

“Sup, boys!” Lance says with a lazy smile. A tremor of pain flashes through his body. “Miss us?”

“Lance!” Shirogane hisses behind him. Lance hears Shirogane's face palm. How pleasant, he can still get Shirogane exasperated by his antics. Sendak growls at Lance and Shirogane angrily. Sendak orders some of the sentinels to get started on repairing the cable. Lance smiles pleasantly, mocking Sendak. The blood drips from Lance's mouth. Shirogane puts a hand on Lance's shoulder, concerned. Lance wipes the blood away with the back of his hand and stares undisturbed by the purple-reddish smear on his gloved hands. 

“We have to keep them from getting lift off.” Lance whispers as he turns his attention back on the Galra moving to start their attack.

“I agree, but Lance you aren't in any condition to.” Shirogane states as they both start dodging Haxus's lasers. 

“Yeah, well. No time to get healed.” Lance yells over his shoulder as he pulls out his bayard, morphing it to a gun, and starts to shoot at Haxus. Due to his injuries, Lance's aim is unsteady and once fired; the shots miss. “Fusik.” Sendak goes for Shirogane as they begin to trade blows. There is a hum of energy flowing underneath Lance's feet which alerts him. Lance takes a quick glance over to the crystal and sees it shining and fully connected. Haxus shoots Lance in the left shoulder and then his right leg. “Argh!” Lance yells as he falls to his hands and knees. The laser shots are searing. Haxus pulls Lance up by the neck. 

“The Commander says not to kill you, but nothing of harming you.” 

“Oh, do your worse.” Lance says, smirking. “Since you can't kill me.” Lance pulls himself up and wraps his legs around Haxus's arm, twisting it. Before backflipping away from Haxus. Barely dodges a laser as it grazes his shoulder and slips as the pain from his obsessive quintessence usage. Lance glances up just as Haxus hits him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The last thing Lance sees is Shirogane's attempt to disarm Sendak. Ophiuchi assist them. Lance's vision fades along with his consciousness.


	20. Battleship Class Crystals Needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! Enjoy~

Keith stares at the scene in front of him. Allura at his side. The entire Arusian village is on fire. Allura looks at the scene in horror as a hand goes to cover her mouth. 

“I'll go in for a closer look. Stay here with them.” Keith orders as he hops down the cliffside leaving Allura with the Arusians. 

“Keith!” Allura yells after him. There's no response. Allura glances down at the Arusians who are in different degrees of shock, horror, and fear. She tries to assure them as she waits for Keith to tell her the situation. 

“What? Oh, no.” Keith whispers out in horror. “They tricked us!” Keith taps into the comms. “It was a diversion to separate us and thin the Castle defenses!”

“We must get back to the castle!” Allura states in a slight panic. “Keith, meet up with me!”

“On it.” Keith replies as he jet packs up towards the cliff once more. “What are we going to do about the burning village?” Allura glances down at the village and the castle. 

“We'll assist them quickly on getting things started, but the Castle should be a priority.” Allura states calmly, even as her heart is pounding heavily in her chest. Keith lands next to her while she has already started on telling the Arusians how to quickly clear out the fires. 

“We need to go, Allura.” Keith states with bayard still in hand. Allura glances up at him and nods quickly. 

“Just a second.” Allura turns to the Arusian King. “I hope this is enough, until we can get back to help some more.” 

“It is more than enough, Princess. It is best that you and the warrior head back to the castle.” The Arusian Elder says as she comes forward to stand next to the King. “Our people have this under control.” Allura thanks the Elder and the King before turning on her heels and following Keith back to the castle as fast as they can. 

“I hope they're alright.” Allura states calmly as they continue. Keith licks his lips as he tries to run at a decently fast pace. 

“Yeah.” Keith answers, concerned. It's a bit unnerving to see the usually active Lance so still. They both make it to the bridge still running towards the castle when the particle barrier goes up. “NO!”

“This can't be happening. They have control of the Castle. They're taking Voltron!” Allura yells out in horror as they both try pounding the barrier.

“Can we break through the barrier?” Keith inquires as he hits the barrier once more. Allura looks down at her hands.

“No. And whoever has taken the Castle has a crystal, which means they'll be able to fly the ship. We have to stop them.” Allura states while taking a deep breath. 

“How are we going to do that?” Keith inquires as he looks around for an opening. Keith switches over to the comms. “Pidge, can you hear me?”

“Keith? Allura? Oh my god, am I so happy to hear you two. I'm currently inside the Castle, and they've taken Shiro and Lance.” Pidge reports as they make their way to the engine room. “I'm currently heading down to the engine room to see if there's anything I can do to stop them from liftoff.”

“You'll have to access the control panel and disconnect the primary turbine, which should make them reset the whole system.” Allura points out calmly. Her heart is pounding as she waits anxiously on the other side of the particle barrier. 

“Alright, got it. You might need to assist me once I get down there.” Pidge states as they continue forward, panting. Keith continues pounding on the barrier, hoping for a miracle to happen. 

“Come on, Shiro...” Keith whispers as he starts to grow frustrated. He hates it when he can't do anything. Here he is standing outside the of the Castle as the others are stuck inside. How did he miss the fact that the attack on the Arusian Village was a distraction? It should have been obvious. Keith clenches his hands tightly as he paces back and forth. 

Allura stares up at the Castle as she gulps. This wasn't suppose to be. Her father left the Castle and Lions in her care. She must do him proud. But for that, the Galra must not take the Castle and the Lions at any costs. Just as Pidge gets to the engine room, the particle barrier falls and the Castle is once again in darkness. 

“Pidge? Did you cut the power?” Allura inquires confused. Keith blinks and quickly steps inside the Castle, Allura following behind. 

“No. It just cut off by itself.” Pidge answers as they glance around. “Something is going on.” 

“We're in. Pidge, we should meet up.” Keith says as he extends his bayard. 

“Okay, the corridor to the bridge?” Pidge pipes up, working their way back up while avoiding any sentinels. 

“No, we should meet before to go over the plan of action.” Allura states as she follows Keith up toward the bridge.

“Alright.” Pidge confirms as they continue to make their way up. “Do you think Shiro and Lance are alright?”

“I don't know, but I hope so.” Keith replies as he sneakily makes his way up. The three of them run into each other one floor below the bridge. Rover floats near Pidge's shoulder, beeping. 

“It's good to see that you're alright, Pidge.” Allura states smiling softly. Pidge gives her a weak smile. Rover continues to beep.

“What's are plan of action? For all we know, Shiro and McClain are probably unconscious and tied up.” Keith states out, glancing around the area to make sure nothing was going to get the drop on them. Rover beeps, catching Pidge's attention. 

“What is it, Rover?” Pidge questions as Rover projects the image of the bridge. They see Lance get shot by Haxus, while Shirogane continues to spar with Sendak while the Castle starts to boot up once more.

“Quiznack the plans, we need to be up there now!” Keith yells as he quickly turns towards the bridge's corridor. Allura, Pidge, and Rover run after Keith.

****

Hunk and Coran both blink as the two shadows come out of the shadows. They did not look like the Galra, and Hunk sighs with relief.

“Oh, thank god you're not Galra.” Hunk exclaims and relaxes his shoulders a bit. Coran stays on guard as he takes in the situation. 

“Nor are you.” She replies and gasps as the shadows of the Galra fighter flies overhead. 

“A patrol! Shay, we must take leave from these ones, now.” The other alien commands as he pulls on Shay's arm. 

“Wait, please! We need your help.” Coran says calmly. “We must get the ship out of view.”

“Not our problem, hairy lip. Galra see us near you and they kill both you and us. Shay, exeunt!” The other alien orders as he walks back into the tunnel. She turns to her brother.

“No! These many years only Galra have been seen here. I will not turn my back on the skylings.” Shay says, standing her ground. Her brother gives them a quick cursory glance. 

“Vex! Grab a side.” He says as he goes to one side of the ship. “In here. Hurry!” The four of them each take a side and push the ship into the tunnel. They make it inside, just as another patrol flies over head. They all sigh in relief. 

“Thanks for saving us. I'm Hunk.” Hunk says with a wide friendly smile. “And this is Coran.” Coran gives them a wave. 

“Shay. And this one, my brother Rax. How did you fall to us?” Shay inquires with a tilt of her head, curious. Hunk shares a glance with Coran, who nods with a smile.

“Well, we came looking for something. And you guys might be the right people to help us find it.” Hunk points out. Shay clasps her hands together and smiles.

“You should come back with us then. Maybe our family can assist.” Shay offers as she turns to walk deeper into the tunnels. Rax follows after her, cautiously watching Hunk and Coran from the corner of his eyes. Hunk and Coran share a glance with each other as Hunk shrugs. Shay and Rax lead them to a little dead end after many twists and turns. A family glances up as they enter the area. “Father, Mother, we're back.”

“Welcome back, Shay, Rax.” Their father greets with a smile, then notices the others. “Hello, welcome strangers.” 

“This is Hunk and Coran, they are skylings that arrived today. It seems that they are looking for something and hopes that we will be able to assist.” Shay informs as she goes and sits down next to the family. Their mother smiles at them and motions them to sit.

“Come join us for a meal.” Their mother says softly. Hunk and Coran both take a seat.

“Thank you for inviting us to share food with you.” Hunk says with friendly smile. 

“Not at all, the more the merrier.” Their grandma states as she gives the two of them each a bowl of food. Hunk sips on the soup and feels his stomach warm. Coran closes his eyes to enjoy it quietly. The family remains quietly as they all eat their own soups. Hunk brings the bowl down into his lap as he takes in the Balmerans. 

“Thanks for the delicious soup. Are these potatoes in here?” Hunk inquires as he looks at the Balmerans. 

“Grandma's special dish for special visitors. Cave-root for the skin. Cave bugs for the soul.” Shay replies with a smile. Hunk takes a second to stop his food from coming back up. Coran's eyes widen as he hits his chest lightly.

“Oh! Thank you for the bugs.” Coran says as their grandma pours Coran some more. “O-okay, I think that's too many.”

“So, how many of you are down here?” Hunk questions as he puts his bowl down on the ground. 

“There are thousands here on Balmera. We work and live in these mines. We harvest crystals for Zarkon.” Shay's father states quietly, ashamed.

“Zarkon. That's so... sad that he's enslaved an entire planet.” Hunk says as he takes in the Balmerans around him.

“Zarkon may rule, but we still have family. That's where true happiness comes from.” Shay's father points out with a smile at his wife. Rax stands up angrily.

“Galra would tear our family asunder if they found these ones. Everyone comes to Balmera and takes, but gives nothing in return.” Rax yells out moving his hands and pointing at Coran and Hunk. Shay ignores her brother and turns to Coran and Hunk.

“In the past, those who took the Balmera's crystals would replenish her with energy. It was an equal exchange.” Shay states sadly, “But the Galra only take. It is no wonder we can feel her suffering.” Hunk glances up when the Balmera groans in response. 

“I'm sorry that we put everyone in this situation, but the faster we get the crystal and get out, the faster everyone is out of danger. We're looking for a battleship-class crystal.” Hunk explains with a flourish of his hands. Coran watches Hunk with a proud little smile. 

“Battleship-class crystal? Those are most rare. Galra soldiers guard them ceaselessly until their harvest. Your quest is in vain.” Shay's father answers. Hunk glances down at his hands, disappointed and worried. Lance needed the crystal.

“There is one, found only weeks ago. It is almost excavated.” Shay mentions calmly. Hunk feels a spark of hope reignite. Rax glares at Shay.

“Quiet! Even if they could steal the crystal from the Galra, battle patrols wait to take down their ship. These ones have no chance of getting out of here alive, with crystal or without.” Rax hisses out. Hunk frowns slightly at the information.

“Okay, so this crystal we need is basically the hardest thing in the universe to get.” Hunk states as he glances over at Coran. Giving Hunk a little smile, Coran thinks for a brief moment.

“I don't know about the hardest. There is the scaultrite mineral found only in the stomachs of giant weblums. Collecting that stuff's no picnic. Uh.. but, yes, this seems very difficult.” Coran answers softly.

“You may stay here until Balmera gives another crystal. One that is hidden from Galra eyes.” Shay inputs as an alternative.

“Thank you, but unfortunately we don't have that kind of time. I got an injured friend who needs to get into a magic healing machine, stat.” Hunk replies while giving her a grateful smile. Coran gets up and pats Hunk on the shoulder. 

“Hunk, you fix the pod. I'm going to do some reconnaissance and see if I can come up with another plan.” Coran states as Hunk nods, determined. Coran watches Hunk walk off with Shay before leaving as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah did I mention there was barely any Lance in this chapter? Heh, maybe he'll be back in the next one. We'll have to wait and see. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for the comments, bookmarks, kudos, and subscriptions. It means the world to me to receive them. I do read them all and try to comment on all of them so don't feel shy I don't bite~
> 
> Also, do check out the other little companion pieces in the series if you wish to deepen your knowledge of the world/Lance's mind.
> 
> And one last note, I do have a discord server up if any of you are curious and want to come hang with me! Shoot me a message/comment and I'll get to you as soon as I can. ;D 
> 
> Love you all to bits. See you next time~


	21. Not all Fights are Physical

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back with another chapter! Enjoy!

Coran sneaks through the tunnels with his dagger out and checking all of the corners. He leans against the rock as a patrol walks past him. Sticking his head out around the corner, he sees the patrol around the Balmeran crystal. Coran takes in the surroundings as he finds multiple tunnel entrances. He counts the patrols as they past him. For once, Coran wishes he had a rifle in hand. Coran hasn't been on stealth missions since ever really. There was that one mission that his Grandfather put him on to gather supplies for the Castle of Lions, but it wasn't in an area infested with Galra forces like this. Glancing around the corner, he takes another glance at the situation, debating the merits of taking out a few patrols before sneaking back to Hunk and the others. 

****

Hunk was rummaging through the wires of the ship, fixing it so they would have a vehicle to escape quickly from. Shay was sitting on the wing watching him work curious, kicking her legs back and forth. 

“Tell me, what is the sky like?” Shay inquires as she watches Hunk expertly move through the wires. Hunk pauses as he comprehends the question and glances up at her.

“The sky? You seriously have never even seen the sky?” Hunk questions tilting his head to glance up at Shay. 

“No... but, at night, I sneak up as high as I dare, trying to imagine what it is like. Oh, lucky are you to fly in this machine to worlds far from here,” Shay states softly yearning. Hunk pauses from his work as he glances up at Shay with a smile.

“Well, it doesn't have to be like this. You can be free of the Galra too,” Hunk replies resting against the ship.

“Free?”

“Yeah, free. It means you can go where you want, be what you want, do what you want. No Galra masters to tell you what to do or when to do it,” Hunk explains with wide gestures and a huge grin. Shay wants to believe him but there's a sense of unease from what he said. 

“It makes no sense. Zarkon controls everything,” Shay points out with a sad defeated look. Hunk gives her an encouraging smile.

“Nope. No, things are changing,” Hunk answers as he puts a hand on hers briefly, “have you heard of Voltron?”

“That's merely a child's tale,” Shay replied softly.

“It's real. I'm one of the paladins, and Voltron is going to defeat Zarkon!” Hunk explains excitedly when Rax comes out to see them.

“Stop filling this one's head with your shadow show! The cavern is our home,” Rax hisses outpointing his finger at Hunk, “This will never change.” Coran walks into the area with a grin.

“I'm back, things are looking spicy,” Coran says as he comes over to the group, “how goes the repairs?”

“It's done,” Hunk replies grinning as Coran pats his shoulder proud.

“Now that your ship is repaired will you be departing from our presence?” Rax inquires hoping as he looks at the two in front of him. Hunk blinks before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“Uh, no. We can't leave without the crystal,” Hunk states as he turns to look at Coran, “You come up with any ideas how to get it?”

“Already on it, but we got to be quick. Hopefully, the sentries don't notice that an entire patrol is missing,” Coran states with a shrug, “we should hurry, Hunk.” Hunk gives Shay a quick hug before following after Coran quickly. His eyes widen when he notices the dagger in Coran's hand.

“You have a dagger,” Hunk states quietly as Coran leads the way, “when did you get that?”

“I've always had it,” Coran answers quietly as he stops Hunk. Glancing around the corner he grins as he sees the crystal unattended like when he carefully dispatched the sentries, “let's get this crystal out.” Coran runs over to the crystal.

“How are we going to remove it from the Balmera?” Hunk inquires as he keeps an eye on the tunnel entries. Coran smiles as he puts his hands on the crystal.

“I'm not going to pry this out of here like some Galra monster. The Balmera is a sacred being. You have to communicate with it. Let your life forces connect,” Coran says as he closes his eyes, “This is the way it was done in our time.”

“Whoa, you really know your Balmeras,” Hunk states in awe as the earth around the crystal falls away. 

“Hunk, unfortunately, I lack the strength to carry the crystal. Could you?” Coran inquires as he stands away giving Hunk room to move over to the crystal and pick it up. 

Smiling, Coran watches as Hunk picks up the crystal and follows after Coran. Stopping Hunk quietly as a pair of sentries walks past them, Coran takes in their movements before motioning Hunk to keep moving. The sentries hear a rock fall and turn to see them.

“Run! Get the crystal to the ship,” Coran orders as he moves around the sentries and tries to disable them. Hunk moves as quickly as he can back towards the ship before Coran manages to catch up with him, “we must leave as soon as we can. The sentries sent an alert out to the others before I could disable the last one. So we're running out of time.” Coran helps Hunk secure the crystal to the ship when the sounds of footsteps are heard from one of the tunnel entrances. Coran spins on his heels with his dagger extended.

“Let me help you secure the ship,” Shay states as she comes over to assist in securing the crystal. Hunk blinks at her with a smile.

“Sure, but won't you get into trouble?”

“Are you going to be okay?” Coran inquires as he works to secure the crystal. Shay glances briefly at Coran before returning to the work at hand.

“Your words touched my heart. I wish for freedom for all Balmera and perhaps your Voltron can make it so,” Shay whispers as she tightens the rope, “the crystal is secure. Go! Make haste!” Shay states as she backs away at the sound of the sentries' footsteps. Hunk moves to help, but Coran keeps a tight grip on his arm.

“No, Hunk! We have to go!” Coran yells as he tugs on Hunk's arm one more time.

“I'll come back for you, Shay! I promise!” Hunk yells before he turns and sits in the chair. Coran punches the controls as they fly out of the tunnels.

“Hang on tight! If we can't shake these patrols, we'll end up captured,” Coran states calmly as he maneuvers the ship around the fighters. 

“We can't shake them!” Hunk yells as he turns towards the button that Pidge installed grinning widely, “I think I know how we're getting out of here.” Hunk presses the button and they go turbo through away from the Balmera. Coran grins as he turns to glance at Hunk.

“Amazing work, Hunk!” Coran praises while Hunk rubs the back of his head sheepishly, “Now let's get back to the others.” Coran pilots the ship back towards Arus.

****

Keith runs into the command room with his sword drawn and immediately attacks Sendak before he manages to knock out Shirogane, “Shiro!”

Shirogane takes a moment to gather his breath as Pidge comes in and shoots Haxus's stopping him from harming Lance further. Allura and Rover run over to the console to try to regain control of the ship from Sendak. Shirogane smirks as he joins Keith and rushing Sendak and trying to overpower him into submission. They continue to trade blows with each other. 

Pidge grunts as they dodge a punch to the face before extending their Bayard to wrap around Haxus's arm and electrocuting him. He growls as he runs towards Pidge in an attempt to disarm them. Haxus grabs them by the wrist and throws them against one of the consoles making them grasp out in pain. Rover beeps urgently next to Allura before its attention snaps over to Lance before returning to Pidge in concern. 

“I'm trying, Rover. Just a few more moments,” Allura says as the adrenaline and fear shake her hands uncontrollably. Rover head-butts Haxus giving Pidge enough time to electrocute him again. 

“Why won't you go down?” Pidge hisses underneath their breath, “just fall already.” 

Allura spins around to glance at the team, “Shiro! Keith! Pidge! Now!” 

The three quickly move to restrain Sendak and Haxus next to the corrupted crystal. They slam their hands against the energy field as the team takes their first easy breath since the attack began. 

“This isn't the end, Champion, Princess Allura,” Haxus hisses as he pounds against the force field. Shirogane stands up before he turns and quickly makes his way towards where an unconscious Lance was. He kneels down next to him concerned at the number of wounds that litters Lance's smaller frame.

“Lance?” Shirogane states softly as he applies some first aid to the injuries that he can see right off the bat. Lance groans but doesn't stir as the others come over.

“He really needs medical attention,” Pidge points out wringing their hands together. Keith puts a hand on Pidge's shoulder and squeezes it without saying a word watching as Shirogane performs the first aid. Rover floats next to Pidge's ear while Allura comes over once she is full confident that Sendak and Haxus can't escape from their temporary prison. 

“I hope Coran and Hunk return soon,” Allura states calmly even if the underlining worry doesn't disappear. 

“How is everyone else?” Shirogane inquires as he finishes up what first aid he could do. Turning, he glances at the rest of the team with concern eyes.

“I think we're going to be alright,” Keith states quietly even though he hates that there wasn't more he could have done to help at this point. At the sound of footsteps, the team braces themselves for another attack but are surprised to see Hunk and Coran enter the command room with the crystal in hand. 

“Coran! Hunk! You're back!” Allura exclaims with relief. 

“We come bearing a crystal!” Coran states with a smile before it fades slightly at the sight of Sendak and Haxus behind the forcefield. Hunk puts the crystal down and runs over to Shirogane and Lance's side worried.

“Coran, I think we need to install the crystal ASAP,” Hunk states calmly while his hand hovers over Lance unsure of what to do. Coran nods and walks over to the console and types into the system making Sendak and Haxus inhale smoke that knocks them out. 

“Shiro, I believe you and Keith should take these two and locked them away,” Coran states calmly, “Hunk and I are going to need to deal with this corrupted crystal and then install the new one.”

“Of course,” Shirogane replies before turning to the last two, “Pidge, Princess, could I ask you to watch Lance? If his condition changes inform us please.”

“We understand,” Allura answers as the team moves into action to do what they were assigned. Hunk helps with the installation of the new crystal occasionally glancing over to Lance worried. Coran lays a gentle hand on his shoulder getting his attention.

“The sooner we finish this installation, the sooner we can put Lance into a pod to heal. Everything else can be done and worried about after that,” Coran states softly with an understanding smile. Hunk nods with a renewed sense of determination. 

The team finishes everything up within a good time and Hunk walks over to where Lance was and gently picks him up. Coran leads the team to the infirmary to help with preparing a pod for Lance. Hunk can feel Lance's body spasm from the aftershocks and it worries him because it almost looks like a seizure. Once Coran finishes preparing the pod, Hunk with the help of Shirogane put Lance into the medical pod suit. Pidge blinks in shock at the horrible injuries and has to turn away from them briefly. Hunk takes a steadying breath as he and Shirogane finish up with the suit. Keith watches from the side along with Pidge, Allura, and Coran. Hunk gently puts Lance in the pod and watches as the door closes around him.

“After a day and a half in here, he should be fully healed,” Allura states as she comes over to glance at him. Shirogane nods and turns to look at Pidge with a small smile.

“Pidge, we can't thank you enough for staying and helping out. I can't help but feel that you were meant to be a part of our team... but I understand if you still want to leave,” Shirogane says softly as he motions to the team who were all glancing at them.

“Dad used to tell me how close he was with his crew members. They were like family,” Pidge answers as they glance up to look at all of them, “Now I understand what he was talking about. I'm staying with you guys. Let's stop Zarkon for all of our families.” Keith grins as he pats Pidge on the back.

“Good to have you back on the team, techie,” Keith replies playfully as Pidge shakes their head amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this chapter, we finished up episode 5 of season 1.
> 
> Many thanks for the comments, bookmarks, kudos, and subscriptions. It means the world to me to receive them. I do read them all and try to comment on all of them so don't feel shy I don't bite~
> 
> Also, do check out the other little companion pieces in the series if you wish to deepen your knowledge of the world/Lance's mind.
> 
> And one last note here is the link to the discord server: [CLICK HERE](https://discord.gg/4rBpq67) to come hang out and chat with me and fellow Voltron fans!
> 
> Love you all to bits. See you next time~


	22. Inner Turmoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am back with another chapter! Enjoy!

Lance could feel the different quintessence around him but his eyes felt heavy. His eyes moved underneath their lids. The sensation of floating, the humming of the machine, and the quintessence were all familiar to him. Ophiuchi please wake him up. While the feelings were familiar it usually meant something bad had happened to either him or those around him. He needed to wake up. Ophiuchi, please! 

At the sound of hissing air being released, his eyes snap open, glowing an electric blue before he blinks it out and falls out of the medical pod unsteadily to hear the team arguing over something. Easing the pressure in his chest slightly.

He leans against the pod as he closed his eyes and turned his attention inward trying to feel for his own quintessence. He releases a silent stress breath at how his quintessence flickers with cracks and bruises. That bad quintessence really messed up his own. It's a wonder that his body didn't ache horribly. The magic of med pods. 

Lance frowns as his eyes open once more to see the ground. The thought of med pods reminds him of his father. He takes a slow deep breath and brings his eyes up to see the team. The pressure in his chest lightens at the sight of them all alive and well. 

“What are you guys debating about?” Lance questions with a tired smile still leaning against the pod. At the sound of his voice, the team spins on their heels to see him. 

“Lance!” Hunk exclaims happily as he came over and pulls him into a tight hug, “I'm so happy to see you awake and healed!”

“Hey, buddy. Good to be healed though I don't remember much...,” Lance replies with a small smile, “what exactly happened?”

“We can tell you all about it while you get something to eat,” Allura states with a soft caring smile, “Are you able to walk?”

“Honestly?” Lance inquires as he took in everyone's appearance, “I should be able to walk, but if I trip I promise that's normal for me.” If he's being completely honest, he's tired and his quintessence could use a few hours of meditation. And he would love to go to sleep for a couple of weeks and wake up feeling refreshed, but they're in a war. 

Lance pushes himself off the med pod as Hunk hovers next to him out of concern. He gives Hunk a smile and pats his arm in reassurance. Shirogane smiles though Lance can see a slight strain and Coran stares at him like he's some dangerous unknown which hurts but not unexpected. Coran's first duty is to protect Princess Allura. 

The memories of what happened returns and Lance has to resist the urge to flinch. Coran and Shirogane know about his abilities. Fusik... cat's out of the bag so to speak. And he got a really good gut feeling that they'll inquire about his... well abilities and what the hell he is.... Lance wants to groan. He's not ready to have this conversation. 

There's a purr in the back of his mind that allows for some of the tension in his shoulders an escape. Blue. There's a warm feeling that envelops him and he sends Blue his appreciation. There's a gentle purr before she returns to watching him. 

When he comes back into awareness of his surroundings, they're in the dining hall and the others have different degrees of concern on their face. Ah shiena, he spaced out big time. Hunk sits him down in the chair before running off to get some food. The others take up space around him and he feels like a cornered cat. 

“Lance, are you sure you're okay,” Pidge inquires pushing up their glasses, “you seemed distracted.”

“I'm alright, Pidge. I promise. It's just a little jarring coming out of a pod and a day or two has passed,” Lance answers smiling, “so what happened after I apparently knocked out?” Hunk comes in with a plate while the others were explaining the events of the last day or two. Everyone took turns adding their own little snippets to create a complete image while he ate the goo. 

“You guys are amazing. Thanks for saving me,” Lance replies extending the spoon of goo to the mice, “So, what happened to Sendak and Haxus?”

“They're both currently frozen in a cryo-pod. We're keeping them here in the Castle,” Allura explains as Lance leans back against the chair. It's not a bad plan to keep them frozen, but it could be dangerous to keep those two in the castle.

“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Lance questions looking at the team with some concern. It could prove dangerous if those two were to manage to roam free in the castle. 

“They're too dangerous to be set free. Besides, we might be able to get some information about Zarkon from him,” Allura points out and Lance nods. 

“So, what's the plan now?” Lance puts the spoon down and pushes his plate over to the mice. He should be concerned that he's not feeling hungry, but that can be pushed to the side for now. He needs to know what the team's plans are and if they're going to bring up his abilities. Hunk brightens as he brings a fist up.

“We have to get back to the Balmera and save Shay and her people!” Hunk exclaims with a fire in his eyes. Lance feels a bit of pride looking at Hunk. He's come a long way from the cadet Lance met back on Earth. 

“Their plight really spurred you, didn't it?” Lance states softly with a pleasant and proud smile etched on his face. While the others gave him some looks.

“Look, guys, when you see how Zarkon has treated these people and destroyed their home... they've been under his thumb for so long, they don't know what it is to be free,” Hunk glances up at the team, “It's up to us to set this right. This is what being a paladin of Voltron is all about. It's time to man up.” Shirogane smiles and nods.

“Then we should get moving. Time to defend the universe,” Shirogane states and Lance can feel the breath he's been holding release slowly until Pidge stops them all.

“Wait, I have something to say first,” Pidge states pushing up their glasses, “I need to come clean. And I'm afraid this may change the way you all think about me. Just so there are no secrets between us anymore, I can't “man up.” I'm biologically a girl. I-I mean, I can “man up” because that's a figure of speech. But I also don't well I don't really identify as either... I guess what I'm saying -”

“You're fine, Pidge,” Lance states gently making their eyes snap up in surprise even though his stomach was feeling icky at Pidge bringing up the word secret reminding him of his own huge secret. Shiena! He thought he could maybe avoid this entire conversation. If he's lucky maybe he can, he just shouldn't bring attention to it. 

“I've known for some time, but I'm glad you've shared it with everyone,” Allura responds smiling at them. Hunk smiled brightly.

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Oh, yeah, me too,” Keith says with a grin.

“Wait, we were supposed to think you were a boy?” Coran questions slightly confused. Lance feels nauseous. 

“Pidge, owning who you are is going to make you a better paladin,” Shirogane says with a proud smile and Pidge returns the smile.

“It's good to get that off my chest,” Pidge states releasing a sigh. Lance pushes the feeling down as he glances over at Pidge.

“So, which pronouns do you prefer?” Lance inquires softly, giving them his undivided attention. Pidge blinks in surprise.

“Well... I prefer they/them,” Pidge answers looking at Lance with a small happy smile. 

“Good to know. If I ever mess that up, please tell me,” Lance responds gently, “I would hate to make you uncomfortable.”

“I- thanks, Lance,” Pidge states grateful as the others nod in acknowledgment. 

Shirogane shares a glance with Coran. Their glance speaks volumes of the questions plaguing their minds, but at the same time... they turn their attention over to Lance whose's speaking with Pidge about their sexual orientation genuinely curious while Hunk, Keith, and Allura are asking questions when there was a pause. Lance said he was feeling alright, but he doesn't look alright. He looks like he needed to rest some more. Coran is concerned because the med pod should have healed him completely. He looks at the sight in front of him and he can see through the almost perfect concealment of discomfort that lays underneath. 

And Shirogane and Coran both want to know more about his abilities and equipment. It's definitely not from Earth from the brief moment that they got to look at it when they were getting him into the pod. At the moment, the strange equipment was strapped to the usual place on Lance's leg. Shirogane has to be honest, he's never seen Lance without it off really. The leg pouch goes wherever he goes. Lance's blue eyes connect with Coran's and Shirogane's briefly and the two of them wonder if Lance can tell that they're thinking of him. 

Lance feels their quintessence fluctuating before their heavy gazes land on him. Out of reflex, Lance takes a peek at them before returning his attention to the group in front of him. Allura claps her hands together gathering everyone's attention.

“We should get the Castle launched. The Balmera and her people need us,” Allura states as the others nod, “Coran we need to go through the last few checks before take off. Paladins, please get into your suits and meet Coran and me on the bridge.”

“Of course,” Shirogane states as he motions the others to go get changed. He waits for the others to pass before grabbing Lance's arm gently, “Lance, can I talk to you for a moment?” Lance nods as Shirogane lets go and he leans against the wall.

“So... what did you want to talk about?” Lance questions slowly studying Shirogane. The nauseous feeling was back in full force. He hopes Shirogane doesn't inquire about who exactly he is because he doesn't think he could handle that type of conversation at the moment. 

“I wanted to ask how you're doing,” Shirogane replies with a small smile, “I know I haven't done a good job in seeing how you and the others have been holding up and for that, I apologize.”

“You're doing fine, Shirogane,” Lance answers softly, “and I'm doing alright. I could be better,” he shrugs with a tired smile. Shirogane frowns as his eyes search Lance's face.

“I don't look alright, do I?” Lance inquires scoffing softly to himself, “I promise Shirogane, that my condition won't be detrimental to the team.”

“Coran said that the med pod should have healed you completely, yet you look like you went through a blender,” Shirogane explains while a confused expression forming on his face. 

“The major injuries are healed like the pod should have done,” Lance states shrugging again, “I just need a few hours of rest and I'll be right as rain. Though...” Lance releases a breath, “we should get changed. The Balmera could use Voltron's help.” 

Shirogane's shoulders slump slightly and Lance could only pat his arm before pushing off the wall and heading off. He could tell that Shirogane wanted him to tell him. Shirogane had created an opportunity for him to explain but Lance couldn't take it. He could have laughed if it didn't tear his heart into two. Fear. Ironic. Him, a soldier, from an alien species that spent generations fighting, is afraid of telling his own team of his heritage. Then again, he could also be cautious because his quintessence is all messed up and if shit was to hit the fan... well he should be at perfect capacity in order to escape should the situation went that far. Not that it would, the team isn't like that. 

Lance closes his eyes tiredly as he walks to get his suit, not noticing Shirogane's concerned gaze. Ophiuchi Shirogane's slightly disappointed look was going to haunt him all day. Lance hates disappointed looks, it reminds him too much of the years he spent training. Sometimes it sucks being who he is, who he was born as. He rolls his eyes as he walks into this room and grabs his suit to change. Not that he could change that and it's not that he hates what and who he is. It's just hard to go back to war after feeling peace for some time. 

Lance frowns as he slips into his suit. His mind is a mess, the fusik is wrong with it? He leans his forehead against the cool wall. Calm down, Lance. He knows what war asks of him. He can do this. He has to keep calm otherwise the others might freak out. He turns and digs through his jacket for his communicator. He just needs to hear their voices to remind him what he's fighting for. His hands are shaking and he laughs hysterically. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to show the team that he isn't human. Ophiuchi, he messed up. 

He goes through the communicator looking for the recordings with his shaking hand. He clicks one of the videos and stares at the video that plays. Letting the sounds of his family echoing around him, Lance buries his face in between his knees and just breaths. Once the short video finishes, Lance clicks the speed dial hoping for the call to go through. He could really use their words of wisdom right now. He's not surprised that the call ends with a dial tone. Pushing all of his problems into a dark corner of his mind, he locks it behind a metal door and melts the sides. He cannot be distracted by his own feelings. They're in a war that could kill everyone in the universe. They cannot fail. 

Lance pushes himself to his feet brushing the dust off his suit. Right, they were going to depart from Arus. He makes his way towards the bridge. His mind was blank when it was storming with thoughts moments earlier. He walks onto the bridge to find the others all there. Allura and Coran were finishing up the last of the checks. 

“Activate interlock,” Allura's voice states from her spot at the center of the bridge.

Lance goes to his spot and sits down closing his eyes tiredly. He takes a steady breath as his mind runs over his cracked quintessence and tries to mend it. It's difficult. 

“Dynotherms connected,” Coran's voice reaches the edges of Lance's consciousness. 

Healing quintessence has never been Lance's forte, it was always his sister's. She could heal this cracked and broken quintessence with barely any sweat. His hisses under his breath as his quintessence disagrees with his gentle prodding. 

“Mega-thrusters are a go.”

Lance could feel the energy from the crystal, the remnants of the bad Galra crystal energy, and Blue's ever warm presence. There was a gentle purr as she helps relieve some of the discomforts in healing his quintessence.

“We are ready to depart Planet Arus on your mark, Princess.”

“Firing main engines for launch,” Allura's voice reaches through Lance's concentration and he opens his eyes to see the ship lifting off the planet. He can hear the team's gasps in awe. Turning his attention to his holographic screen, his eyes take in the information displayed in front of them. They seem fine for right now so he should be able to take some time to readjust his quintessence if he doesn't get distracted. 

Blue purrs and sends images of him resting while the ship continues to their destination. Lance sends her a negative instead and stares at the team with some fondness as they all stare at the space around the ship. Keith puts a hand on Lance's shoulder bringing him out of his daze.

“Hey, we were about to huddle and talk about our next course of action,” Keith states with a gentle smile, “come on. Your input is important.”

“Good to know, Kogane,” Lance replies grinning as he pushes himself out of his chair to head over to the side where the rest of the team was relaxing around. Hunk smiles as he pats Lance on the shoulder as he comes over to sit down on the stairs. 

“So what's the plan?” Pidge inquires sitting on the stairs in between Keith and Lance. 

“Okay. So, when we get there, what do you think? Do we just roll up and start blasting? Or do we land and have some type of communication?” Hunk says excitedly with his arms moving to explain his point. Lance smiles amused as he leans back on his hands. 

“Hunk, calm down. And, yes, blasting. I doubt communication would work,” Keith points out as he leans against the wall.

“It's our first big rescue mission. He's excited,” Shirogane states with a smile though he glances down at Lance briefly. 

“Excited to see his new friend,” Pidge blurts out grinning. 

“She's someone I met and I admire very much,” Hunk answers a bit defensive just as the alarms start blaring.

“The hell?” Lance questions as he turns to look over at Coran. 

“What is it? Are we being attacked?” Shirogane inquires urgently while Keith and Hunk were both alert as well.

“No, it seems to be a distress beacon,” Coran explains as he looks at his screen. 

“It's coming from a nearby moon. Apparently, a ship has lost power,” Allura states after looking at her own screens. 

“I wonder who it is,” Pidge says from their spot on the stairs making no motion to move. Hunk straightens his back.

“Whoever it is will have to wait. Shay has first priority. We can check back on them when we're done,” Hunk states with passion.

“The Paladin Code states that we must help all those in need,” Allura says out making Hunk frown a bit at the decision. Lance gives him a smile but remains silent. Lance can understand Hunk's feelings, but he can also understand Allura and the code. She switches over to the speakers, “Attention, damaged craft, this is Princess Allura. We are coming to assist you.” Allura pilots the ship to the moon and lands it. Lance pushes himself up to his feet before extending a hand to Pidge to grab and pull them up to their feet. 

“Well then, let's go meet with these stranded peeps,” Lance states as he stretches his arms up. Allura turns to Coran who has turned to look at the team.

“Stay aboard and try to get as many of our systems clear of that Galra crystal energy as you can. We'll see who hailed us,” Allura orders and Coran nods before the team turns to head off to the pod that would take them down to the surface. Lance briefly glances at the crystal before shaking his head. He can worry about it later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time the team gets to meet with Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer!
> 
> Many thanks for the comments, bookmarks, kudos, and subscriptions. It means the world to me to receive them. I do read them all and try to comment on all of them so don't feel shy I don't bite~
> 
> Also, do check out the other little companion pieces in the series if you wish to deepen your knowledge of the world/Lance's mind.
> 
> And one last note here is the link to the discord server: [CLICK HERE](https://discord.gg/4rBpq67) to come hang out and chat with me and fellow Voltron fans!
> 
> Love you all to bits. See you next time~


	23. A Moment's Detour

The team heads off the ship to greet the people that hailed them. Lance glances around him at the moon and finds that it's not a bad place to be stranded should someone get stranded. Allura and the others stop in front of the trio.

“Hello, we got your distress signal,” Allura greets as she takes in the trio.

“You don't know how glad we are to see some friendly faces. Most folks don't want to get tangled up with anyone who's on the run from the Galra,” the male said with an easy grin. Hunk remains silent as he takes in the trio with suspicion. 

“So, you guys are fighting the Galra?” Keith questions with a tilt of his head in curiosity.

“Well, I don't think Zarkon is exactly quaking in his boots at the three of us,” he says chuckling, “but we do what we can. I'm Rolo. This is Nyma, and our cyber-unit, Beezer.”

“Hi,” Nyma greets looking at the team, though her eyes seem to linger briefly on Lance. He gives her a brief smile but nothing else. Pidge's eyes brighten as they see the robot.

“Cool robot!”

“Was your ship damaged in a fight?” Shirogane questions glancing at Rolo and Nyma. Allura listens attentively. Hunk looks at them skeptically. 

“Yeah, we've really been through it with the Galra. Parts are hard to come by. Luckily, we were able to limp to this moon about a week ago,” Rolo explains as his hands move, “if you didn't pick up our distress signal, I d-” 

“We're happy to help. I am Princess Allura of Altea, and from now on, you won't be alone fighting the Galra. You'll have the Paladins of Voltron by your side,” Allura interrupts Rolo with a smile. Rolo blinks not quite knowing what to make of the statement. 

Lance's eyes narrow slightly at the comment. Fishy, if you asked him. If they've been on this moon for a week, why did the team now receive the distress beacon? Why not earlier? Lance takes a peek at Hunk and the others. Hunk doesn't look like he buys it either while the others seem to be giving them the benefit of the doubt. Hmm... if Hunk doesn't trust these guys, then there must be something else that the team was missing, overlooking. Lance trusts Hunk's intuition when it comes to people. Hunk is a good judge of character. Lance fights the urge to use his quintessence to feel theirs. With his being in bad shape using it anymore recklessly would not end well for him. He glances down at his leg pouch, he could use it but then if a really bad one happens... strategically, it would be wise to not use it until he was in a dire situation. And these three in front of him are not that dire of a situation.

“I don't think they've heard of us,” Shirogane points out as he shares a glance with Allura briefly. Lance notices how Hunk shifts on his feet impatiently. He really would rather go to the Balmera's aid than stay here. He's really curious to know what Hunk's feeling right now. 

“It has been ten thousand years,” Keith states bluntly, “it shouldn't be a surprise that people don't really know.” Pidge crosses their arms as they stare at Beezer. Rolo gives them a blank stare, not understanding.

“You know, Voltron? Five giant lion robots that come together to form a huge robot... guy?” Shirogane informs while Hunk gives them a hard gaze untrustingly. Lance stands behind his team blinking in the situation. 

“I really don't...,” Rolo mutters softly, his eyes not making contact with Shirogane's eyes instead, Rolo stares right into Lance's intense navy blue eyes, “Voltron sounds impressive. I'd love to see it. Or-or him. Them,” Rolo turns his attention to Allura when Lance's gaze starts to make him nervous. Lance smiles amused as he leans back on his heels smirking. Hunk's gaze hardens as he walks past Allura and Shirogane.

“Why don't we get to work on your ship? I'm sure we all have places to be,” Hunk says with a hard stare. Rolo nods slowly. 

Lance turns to glance at their ship with a thoughtful expression. Cargo class ship if Lance's nighttime studies were correct and if his memory serves him. Though, Lance takes a peek at the trio and plasters on an easy smile. Why would they fight the Galra forces with a Cargo class ship? Lance watches as the team continues talking with Rolo about getting the parts for their ship. 

“Sure. Pretty much our whole flaxum assembly is shot. I don't know what kind of extra parts you carry in this rig of yours. I've never seen anything quite like it,” Rolo exclaims motioning towards the Castle of Lions.

“I'm sure we can get you back up and running. Give Hunk a list of what you need. Coran can show you where to find it,” Allura commands with a smile. 

“Okay,” Hunk answers nodding. Rolo moves after Hunk with an easy smile on his face.

“We'll go with you. Don't want you to have to carry all that yourself,” Rolo says as he turns to his crew, “Come on, guys.” Hunk puts a hand on Rolo's chest and shakes his head.

“Uh, I don't think so. You can just wait out here,” Hunk says sternly making Lance glance over as Allura looks alarmed.

“Hunk, don't be rude,” Allura says hoping that they didn't offend the other party. Lance puts a hand on Allura's shoulder gaining her attention.

“Hunk's just concern about everyone's safety, Princess,” Lance states quietly, “he doesn't want what happened last time to happen again.” Shirogane sighs softly and nods gently at Allura.

“Hunk and Lance are right,” Shirogane turns to look at Rolo and his crew, “Sorry, but we have to be cautious.”

Rolo brings his hands up in a placating manner, “Hey, I don't take it personally,” Beezer prints out the parts list as Rolo shrugs, “that's how it is out here. You've got to look out for your own,” Beezer beeps as Rolo takes the list and he pats Hunk's shoulder, “you're doing a good job, big man.”

“Yeah. Thanks,” Hunk says slowly not really believing Rolo's words as sincere. Hunk takes the list and waves it, walking off towards the ship to gather the parts.

“My planet was destroyed by the Galra and I was taken captive. I managed to escape, but not before I lost something,” Rolo states before gesturing towards his missing limb.

“I know exactly how that feels,” Shirogane says giving him an understanding smile.

“Well, I hope there are some parts in here that'll fit. You know, to get your ship moving?” Hunk states slowly after bringing in the box of spare parts.

“Great! Thanks,” Rolo exclaims. Lance licks his lips as Allura, Keith, and Shirogane question Rolo for information. Lance blinks when his eyes make contact with Nyma who winks at him. He plasters on a lazy smile and returns the wink before straightening his expression once Shirogane turns to glance at him with some concern. Lance shakes his head with a small smile before gesturing him to continue his conversation with Rolo. 

Lance walks over to Nyma and gives her an easy smile. She returns it before she returns her attention to the ship.

“Your ship is really magnificent. I've never seen anything quite like it,” Nyma whispers softly taking in the ship.

“There really isn't anything quite like it. It really is a marvelous feat of engineering. I don't suppose you've seen many ships like this,” Lance replies as he puts his hands behind his head, occasionally taking a peek at how she holds herself. A silence falls between them as Lance stares at the Castle. He's never had a chance to appreciate the design. The Alteans really knew how to build their ships in this universe, that's not to say that his universe's Alteans didn't know how to build spaceships. It's just they weren't as elaborate as the Castle of Lions. 

“No, I haven't. It must be amazing inside,” Nyma whispers jerking Lance from his musings, “it's a shame that we're not allowed inside. I would've loved a tour.”

“Yes, it's really a shame. You might have liked the swimming pool,” Lance replies softly, “though I suppose seeing the hanger where we keep the lions would be cool too.” Nyma looks at him and Lance has to fight the urge to cackle with delight. She seems to be interested in the lions. How curious, does that mean that they're not really stranded? Why would they lie? Unless... their goal was Voltron or the lions. Taking into account Hunk's distrust and that this moon is a bit too pleasant, Lance makes a quick decision which might earn him a lecture in the coming future. 

“I could show you a bit of the Castle,” Lance states with a charming smile and extending his hand, “it'll be a secret between the two of us.” Nyma giggles as she takes his hand. Lance leads her inside the Castle showing her all of the areas that were not important like the swimming pool, and kitchen, etc. He didn't want to give her much of the layout and made sure to walk in circles without being obvious. She took everything in with awe and curiosity. 

“This place is incredible!”

“Yeah, though you do get used to it over time,” Lance replies as he leads her through a hallway.

“But it's so gigantic. It must take you forever to get to your lion,” Nyma states and Lance shakes his head in amusement.

“Ooh, you'd be surprised,” Lance answers grinning mischievously, “it's actually a really simple ride, but we're actually pretty close to the hangers so I'll show you Blue.” 

As Lance walks into the hanger, he sends images of what he thinks about Nyma to Blue warning her of his suspicions. Blue growls into his mind and sends him images of herself getting kidnapped as a suggestion in response to all of the details Lance manages to convey to her. She sends him the feeling of watching his back and to be careful.

“Wow, unbelievable,” Nyma whispers out in surprise as Lance continues walking to Blue's open mouth. Lance stops at the top of the ramp and turns to face her.

“You coming? I'll show you inside,” Lance states as nods towards the cockpit. Nyma jogs next to him as he leads her inside Blue. Blue sends him pictures of different outcomes and Lance sends snickers and laughter back to her. 

“This is amazing! How do you understand all of the controls?” Nyma inquires as Lance sits down in the chair with purpose. Lance grins as he glances back at her.

“It's all instinct. Hang on,” Lance states as he pushes the controls and gets Blue flying out of the hanger. He can feel her heavy gaze staring intensely at the controls. If Lance doubted her sincerity before, he can feel his own certainty at Hunk's judgment on these people. Now to make sure they don't get what they want. Blue sends images of him tricking her and Lance couldn't help but internally snicker.

“Oh, it's a kinetic spring!” Nyma states as she points to the spring, “Let's land over there. The minerals reflect off the water, making a rainbow.”

Lance smiles as he moves Blue over to land near the spring, “Is there anything you don't know?”

“There are plenty of things that I don't know,” Nyma replies as she makes her way off of Blue, “like this lion or even the Castle.” Lance sends Blue the image of being on guard as he pets Blue with a fond smile. Their bond was stronger but Lance found it a bit frustrating that he couldn't communicate with her using words and still having to resort to images.

Lance watches as Nyma walks over to the spring and stares at the water. He comes up next to her and studies the spring. It was like she said, the spring really has minerals that reflected a rainbow. While she was studying the water, Lance sneaks his hand into her pocket and grabs the handcuffs that she had hidden. He puts it in his leg strap while he pulls out his black stick. His eyes glow briefly as he uses his quintessence to extend the stick into a quarterstaff.

“So tell me, Nyma, why are you and your crew really after the Lions? Did the Galra Forces put you up to it in exchange for a reward?” Lance whispers quietly next to her ear making her jump away from him with wide eyes. Lance straightens up turning to face her with a lazy smile, “what?”

“What are you talking about, Lance?” Nyma states slowly as her eyes can't make contact with him. Lance shakes his head amused.

“Don't play dumb, you're much smarter than that,” Lance points out shifting his quarterstaff to a more relaxed position, “the fact that you're so defensive makes me believe that I hit it right on the head.” Nyma looks at him quietly thinking of her next move. 

“You wouldn't do anything,” Nyma replies making Lance smile turn into a smirk.

“Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea what I am capable of,” Lance answers softly twirling his quarterstaff in his hand, “I've done many things that I'm not proud of. So I really suggest you give up because I'm not afraid of stopping you by any means necessary.”

“You're insane,” Nyma states as she nervously looks around looking for a way to escape.

“Not the first time someone told me that,” Lance replies as he takes two large strides and grasps her wrists gently before snapping the cuffs around her wrists, “and I believe you'd hardly be the last to call me that. Now I've wasted enough time catering to your whims.” Lance motions her back towards Blue. It took a quick minute or two to fly back over to where the Castle was. The team looks over as Blue lands and opens up allowing Nyma to come out with Lance in tow with his quarterstaff poking her back.

“Lance? What's going on?” Allura inquires as she looks ready to panic. Lance summons his Bayard and points it at Rolo without looking at him.

“Lance!” Shirogane says in alarm. Keith, Pidge, and Hunk have all stood up alert and cautious.

“It never occurred to you that they wanted to steal the Lions and turn them over to the Galra Forces?” Lance deadpans coldly before turning to look at Rolo, “how much was the reward for a lion? And don't lie. Nyma here has been unconsciously dropping hints this entire time.”

“How did you figure it out?” Rolo questions as he raises his hand in surrender.

“First, you said that you've been on this moon for a week. Yet we've been scanning the area for a bit longer than that. Plus, I trust Hunk's intuition. He's really good judge of character,” Lance replies calmly, “third, you and Nyma couldn't keep eye contact with me when I was talking or merely staring. I know I can have an intense gaze. Fourth, Nyma was trying unsuccessfully to get me to lower my guard and lead her to Blue.”

“I was replacing that pipe on their ship and I noticed that it was cracked, but none of the hardware around it was damaged,” Hunk points out calmly, “and if the thermal pipe is cracked, then, obviously, hello, the entire assembly should be totally roasted. Therefore, we should've had to replace the entire undercarriage of that reactor.”

“Okay, we get it!” Keith states as he turns to look at Shirogane and Allura, “what now?”

“Well, we do have to address this,” Allura states softly, “you did abuse our hospitality.” 

“Lance, you can put your weapons away,” Shirogane orders calmly even though he looks at him with a strange expression, “they're not going to attack.” Lance looks at the three of them before letting his Bayard disappear but continues to hold onto his quarterstaff loosely. 

“Thanks for sparing our lives,” Rolo states as he watches them calmly, “you may not believe this, but I hope you do stop Zarkon. It's a lifetime of fighting the Galra that led me to where I am today.” 

“So, what's our move, Shiro, Princess?” Keith questions a bit hesitant to trust Rolo's words. Hunk walks over to Lance and pats his shoulder. Lance gives Hunk a tense smile.

“Well, sure they abused our hospitality, but couldn't we... I dunno, ask them to join us in our fight?” Pidge questions as they keep their arms wrapped around Beezer.

“I'd say, we take back our parts and leave them here. Surely someone will come and help them,” Keith states crossing his arms. 

“Let's not make a hasty decision,” Shirogane states calming the team down, “these are people's lives we have in our hands.”

“Then let them make their decision,” Lance points out calmly, “they got themselves into this mess. We can give them the choice between our two decisions.” 

“Lance,” Allura calls out pulling his attention over to her, “you're willing to forgive them for attempting to steal Blue?”

“We all make decisions we sometimes regret,” Lance answers softly, “as long as they don't try it again, I don't see the problem with letting them decide their own fates.”

“I don't understand you,” Rolo blurts out as he sits on the crate staring at Lance with some confusion, “why would you?”

“We're in a war. Any allies will be nice to have,” Lance replies shrugging briefly, “plus, I can understand being in a corner and doing anything to survive. As long as you promise us not to go after our lions, I'll be willing to overlook this moment.”

Rolo chuckles softly as he shakes his head, “I can't tell if you're naive or if you're insane.” Nyma licks her lips as she stands behind Rolo free of her cuffs. Lance laughs quietly as he smiles calmly.

“Probably insane,” Lance answers as he collapses his quarterstaff and pockets it in his leg strap, “so Princess, what's the plan?”

“You're asking me?” Allura states with slightly wide eyes, “it felt like you were ready to make the decision for us.” Lance turns to look at her in the eyes.

“You and Shirogane are the leaders of this team. The team and I can give you ideas and inputs but at the end of the day, you're both making the final call,” Lance points out calmly leaning back on his heels.

“I agree with Lance,” Pidge states from their spot near Beezer, “we could use more people in our fight against the Galra.”

“Should we do a vote?” Keith questions as he walks up next to Shirogane.

“Alright, let's make a vote,” Shirogane asks looking at the team, “who's for allowing them to join our fight?” Shirogane watches as the team brought up their hands, some slower and more hesitant than others. Shirogane turns to look at Rolo and his group, “so you get a choice, you can join us in our fight and we won't leave you stranded or we'll take our parts back and go on our way.” 

“We could always use more allies in this fight,” Allura states softly, “and you've been fighting them for some time already, why not continue with Voltron as your allies? We can be stronger together.” Rolo turns to look at Nyma and Beezer who comes over to converse quietly. Lance turns and walks over to Blue and lays a hand on one of her paws. Blue growls warmly in his mind letting him relax his tense shoulders.

“Great! We'll get you a communicator so you can contact us,” Allura states happily as she turns on her heels to return to the castle to retrieve the device. Lance turns around and sees Shirogane giving Rolo a pat on the shoulders. 

“Team, let's pack it up. We're going to head over to the Balmera,” Shirogane orders calmly as Hunk brightens up and starts cleaning up the mess. Shirogane gives Rolo a smile, “I suppose you won't be coming with us.”

“Yeah, there's some galaxy bars that we can hit up to get you guys some more information,” Rolo states calmly, “maybe we'll even find some more allies to join this fight.” Nyma walks over to Lance and gives him a small smile.

“Was I really that obvious?” Nyma inquires softly so no one else heard.

“Not really, I'm just used to looking for the signs that's all,” Lance replies as he pats Blue's paw unconsciously, “good luck out there.”

“You too, Lance. Thanks for sparing us,” Nyma whispers before kissing him on the cheek and walking over to Rolo as Allura came back with the communicator. Lance gives the trio one last look before entering Blue to fly back to the ship. He leans back in his chair as he allows for Blue to take control.

“I need at least an hour to fix my quintessence,” Lance mutters softly, “Blue, how long do I have before we get to the Balmera?” Blue sends him a question mark and the feeling of her shrugging, “Well then, I guess I'll get started now then. Poke me if the others need me.” He feels Blue nodding and closes his eyes to feel his tattered quintessence and to begin to heal it. Rolo, Nyma, and Beezer watch as the Castle of Lions take off leaving them behind on the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time the team gets to the Balmera!
> 
> Many thanks for the comments, bookmarks, kudos, and subscriptions. It means the world to me to receive them. I do read them all and try to comment on all of them so don't feel shy I don't bite~
> 
> Also, do check out the other little companion pieces in the series if you wish to deepen your knowledge of the world/Lance's mind.
> 
> And one last note here is the link to the discord server: [CLICK HERE](https://discord.gg/4rBpq67) to come hang out and chat with me and fellow Voltron fans!
> 
> Love you all to bits. See you next time~


	24. Be Aware

Lance feels his quintessence as he runs a mental hand over it, feeling it jerk and protest underneath his hand. As he returns over it, he weaves the quintessence he pulls from his surroundings to fix the holes or strengthen the parts that had become weakened due to strain. It hurts as he tries to weave the foreign quintessence with his own. Lance gasps as he leans against the controls breathing heavily.

“Ophiuchi, I wish I had my sister's ability to stitch the quintessence back together,” Lance mutters as he leans back against his chair. Blue wraps her quintessence around him as she sends him images of trying again, “yeah, I will. It's just... I hate that it takes me so long to fix my quintessence. She could've fixed it in fifteen compared to my hour.” Blue roars quietly urging him to not think bad of his abilities. Lance takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes in order to attempt the process again. Blue sends her quintessence for Lance to fix his own which helps ease the pain of the using a foreign quintessence.

Lance entwines the two quintessence together, slowly healing his own using Blue's calm and warm one. The process was long and sometimes Lance would mess up and the quintessence would backlash against him making him tear his quintessence. Blue nudges him with her quintessence pulling him out of his meditation. He glances up to check the time and rubs his eyes tiredly. Healing quintessence isn't easy especially since he was trained in offensive quintessence use. 

Lance pushes himself up from his seat as Blue opens the cockpit door patting Blue as he leaves. He rolls his shoulders striding towards the training room. The team didn't need him at the moment and he could use the time to check how his quintessence will hold during a fight. When Lance enters the room, he glances around in thought before removing the armor on his suit. He needed no obstructions with the training he was about to commence. 

“Commence training,” Lance says as he pulls out his black stick and extends it to a quarterstaff. Lance takes a deep breath as he pulls the quintessence around him and weaves it around his body as the sound of the Gladiators appeared from the ground. 

He closes his eyes as he feels the quintessence around him as the Gladiators begin to attack him. Without opening his eyes, Lance brought his quarterstaff up to slam into the torso heavily before ducking from an attack from another one. He brought a hand up to grasp one of the Gladiator's neck that was going for his chest. He squeezes it's neck as it snaps underneath his grasp before throwing it across the room. Ducking as another one swipes at his legs, Lance jumps over the Gladiator bringing his quarterstaff to smash against its head and morphing the staff into a bow. Pulling a few needles out, Lance morphs them into arrows before releasing it at the remaining Gladiators heads. Landing on his feet, Lance opens his eyes to survey the damage. There were Gladiators littering the room in different ranges of disassembling. 

At the sound of clapping, Lance snaps his attention up and over to the doorway. He blinks uncomprehendingly.

“That was brilliant, McClain,” Keith says as he walks further into the room with Shirogane behind him, “where did you learn to fight like that?”

“Kogane, Shirogane?” Lance mutters out confused. When did they arrive?

“We heard the sound of fighting and thought we'd check it out,” Shirogane explains with a small smile. Lance nods slowly as if he was coming out of a coma. He feels his quintessence settle just below his skin within his body.

“I see,” Lance states softly, “I learned it at a training camp when I was growing up.” He goes over to the Gladiators and pulls the arrows out and it morphs back into the silver needles before pocketing them in his leg strap, rolling his shoulders as he straightens up. 

“Training camp?” Keith questions as he watches Lance twist without moving his feet before leaning backward and catching himself on his hands pushing his feet fully off the ground.

“Yes, a training camp,” Lance replies as he pushes off the ground and lands on his feet once more, “why?”

“Your eyes were closed,” Shirogane points out smiling with a bit of strain making Lance pause to study his expression with a tilt of his head.

“Spacial awareness,” Lance states, watching the expressions that Keith and Shirogane share and putting his hands on his hips, “you don't believe me.”

“It's not that I don't believe you, Lance,” Shirogane says gently, “it's just hard to imagine you defeating all of these Gladiators without your sight.”

“We have time,” Lance replies smirking amused, “I'm down to sparring one or both of you in order to show you that it is possible.” Rolling his shoulders, he twirls his quarterstaff in his hand smiling lazily. 

“Oh I'm game,” Keith replies as he summons his Bayard and morphing it to his sword. Lance smiles amused as he widens his stance and gives Shirogane a brief look.

“Did you want to join?” Lance inquires seeing Shirogane shaking his head and backing off to the sides to watch the spar instead. Shirogane was most likely trying to figure him out. Lance closes his eyes as he allows for his quintessence to feel everything in the room, “whenever you're ready, Kogane.” Lance feels Keith's quintessence move making him bring up his quarterstaff to block the attack grinning.

“The hell?” Keith mutters as he brings his sword up to swipe at Lance's head. Feeling the change in the air, Lance leans back before swinging his quarterstaff at Keith's quintessence at where he believes to be the torso. 

Shirogane watches the spar frowning, it couldn't just be spatial awareness. It was something else. Did it have to do with the abilities he's seen Lance use? 

Lance flips backward away from Keith as he tilts his head feeling Keith as he circles him.

“How are you doing that?” Keith questions as they circle each other. There was something in the air. A charged feeling that was making the atmosphere heavy especially around Lance. 

“Have you mastered the ability to see through your lion's eye yet?” Lance inquires as he brings the quarterstaff up to block another attack. 

“No, have you?” Keith asks back as his eyes widen in surprise at the quick retaliation that Lance made as he parried his sword. 

“Sort of, but not yet mastered,” Lance answers smiling as he snaps changing the environment so it wasn't just the training room, “it's similar to that ability.” Lance wonders how long Keith would last if he just let go. Ah, but he doesn't want to kill anyone and letting go is for, well, last resorts. Shaking his head, Lance flips away abruptly dodging what could have been an extremely bad cut.

The two continue to trade blows and parkour over obstacles as Shirogane studies the spar from the side. That wasn't normal. It wasn't humanly possible to be able to locate obstacles like the way Lance was doing it. Maybe if he was blind perhaps, but he could still see and he reacts to his surroundings like he had his eyes open instead of closed. 

“Shiro? We're getting close to the Balmera. Could you gather everyone?” Allura's voice reaches his ears as he pushes away from the wall.

“Yeah, I'll message everyone to the bridge,” Shirogane replies as he cancels the training watching as Lance and Keith's weapons connect, “Alright you guys, we're needed on the bridge. You can finish the spar at a later time.” Lance morphs his quarterstaff back into a black stick and pockets it with his needles watching as Keith puts his Bayard away. 

“Are we nearing the Balmera?” Lance inquires opening his eyes as he turns to glance at Shirogane who was waiting at the door.

“Yes, and we need to come up with our course of action,” Shirogane replies looking at Lance put on the armor to his suit, “ready?”

“Yeah, I'm good,” Lance answers as he jogs over to the other two to start their walk to the bridge. Lance hears Shirogane message Hunk and Pidge to meet up at the bridge as well. For the most part, the walk was quiet as everyone was in their own thoughts. It was pleasantly quiet and Lance is grateful for the silence and a chance to think. 

Arriving at the bridge, Lance notices that the others were already there and waiting for them. Hunk gives him a smile as he comes to a stop by his side.

“We'll be arriving at the Balmera soon. Liberating these Balmerans from Zarkon's grasp will not be easy,” Allura states as she turns to look them all of them from her spot at the controls. 

“So, what's the plan?” Lance questions as he allows the tension to flow out of his body allowing him to be relaxed. 

“Well, we can't shoot at the Galra. This Balmera, it's alive. And from what we've seen, it doesn't look very good,” Hunk states bringing the others up to speed. 

“Yes, it's an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand beast. Stealing its crystals, its very life force, without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremonies to heal it,” Coran says as he shakes his head with sadness for the Balmera. 

“Energy Rejuvenation Ceremonies?” Lance mutters softly under his breath thinking. Was that similar to what Vaorians do during their trials and festivals? Hunk and the team continue talking about their plan as Lance glances at the screens and stare at it absently lost in thought. He hasn't thought about his people in such a long time. He feels his heart aches at the thought of never seeing his biological family again. That ever-steady presence of his sister's quintessence was long gone and it had left him unbalanced for so many months after being stranded in this universe. Was she even alive? He knows that his Earth family should still be alive and well, but his biological family. His parents, sister, and his people. What must they be thinking since his “death.” Lance holds no illusion that his people would believe he'd survive such an explosion. Do they mourn him? What does his family think? Does Vaoria even exist still? The Galra didn't destroy it since he's been gone, have they? Lance shakes his head gently. He cannot allow his mind to wander to things he can no longer return to. He can't go back so he'll have to make do with what he has. 

Lance takes a silent deep breath as he returns his attention to the bridge. The team was heading off to their lions. Coran sends him a concerned gaze as he hasn't moved from his spot. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lance sees Allura also looking at him slightly concern as well.

“Lance?” Allura questions slowly careful to not spook him.

“Are you feeling alright?” Coran finishes asking, “Do you need to rest some more?”

“I'm alright, Princess, Coran,” Lance replies as he stretches his arms backward, “I can rest better after we save the Balmerans.” Lance walks towards his door leading to his lion when Coran grabs his arm gently stopping him.

“If you're feeling ill, do not hesitate to tell us, my boy,” Coran says softly, “your safety and health does matter.”

“I... I got it, Coran,” Lance replies smiling gently, “I know my current limits and will inform you if my condition will hinder the mission.” When Coran's grasp loosens, Lance takes that chance to hop on the zip-line and down towards his lion. 

Blue roars in his mind as he gets closer. Lance smiles as he sends her the image of him falling into the cockpit and her taking off at full speed. Blue growls with amusement and agrees. Lance laughs as he enters the cockpit and Blue flies off as fast as she could go. 

“Talk with me, Blue,” Lance says as he gets himself comfortable in his seat, “what's the situation?” Blue sends him what she sees and hears from her siblings. Lance licks his lips nodding at the barrage of information coming at him, “fantastic.”

“I'll take out the power generator. Keith, Lance, Hunk, you take out these big mining rigs around the area,” Shirogane commands as he maneuvers the Black Lion towards the generator.

“Yeah! Okay, let's do this! Let's go kick some alien butt!” Hunk exclaims excitedly as he moves the Yellow Lion towards the mining rigs as Keith and Lance flies after him. The trio goes and destroys the rigs. Lance dodges some lasers as tries to take in the information that was being displayed via screens. 

“Remember, the Balmera is a living creature. Make sure you pinpoint only the Galra installations and not its surface,” Shirogane reminds them as they continue to attack the Galra tech. 

“Got it,” Keith replies moving the Red Lion around the buildings. As the team continues their assault on the installations, Lance glances at his screens in confusion. It was too quiet. 

“Where are all the troops? They're not coming to the surface,” Keith points out as he continues flying overhead. 

“Yeah, I remember seeing a lot of Galra guys down in the mines,” Hunk states glancing at the comms. Lance bites his lower lip turning to glance at his own screens. It was too quiet. 

“We've located a hanger full of Galra fighters just below the surface. Someone has to take those out before they can launch,” Allura states calmly as she stares at the holographic screens around her. 

“They're luring us down, but we have no choice. Keith, Lance, you guys hit the hanger. Hunk, head to the prison to rescue Shay and the other Balmerans. Pidge and I will track down the Galra soldiers,” Shirogane commands calmly.

“Alright! Let's do this!” Hunk exclaims as the team splits up to head off to their own locations. Lance follows after Keith and the Red Lion as he leans back in his chair listening to Blue's gentle purrs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @Whateves1 I hope you enjoyed the spar, unfortunately, there wasn't Lance shirtless yet.
> 
> Many thanks for the comments, bookmarks, kudos, and subscriptions. It means the world to me to receive them. I do read them all and try to comment on all of them so don't feel shy I don't bite~
> 
> Also, do check out the other little companion pieces in the series if you wish to deepen your knowledge of the world/Lance's mind.
> 
> And one last note here is the link to the discord server: [CLICK HERE](https://discord.gg/4rBpq67) to come hang out and chat with me and fellow Voltron fans!


End file.
